Every year in Maryland, over 5.5 billion beverage containers are sold, yet only one in four is recycled. That means more than 4 billion bottles and cans - including a staggering 2.6 billion plastic ones - are tossed away, piling up in landfills, spewing toxins when burned, or washing into our rivers and streams where they choke wildlife and contaminate our drinking water.
The Maryland Bottle Bill is a proposed law designed to reduce plastic waste, protect our environment, and promote recycling through a 10-cent refundable deposit on beverage containers, including plastic water bottles. When you return your empty bottle, you get your money back!
This program empowers Marylanders to take part in building a circular economy, where bottles don’t become trash but rather, they become resources.
Why This Matters:
- Beverage containers make up more than HALF of the litter in our waterways.
- A small refundable deposit will reduce litter and increase recycling, keeping bottles and cans out of our environment.
- Taxpayers will save money as waste collection and cleanup costs go down.
Take a moment today to email your legislators: Maryland needs a Bottle Bill!
