What's happening
This bill increases the beverage container handling fee paid to dealers and redemption centers, tying future increases to minimum wage changes.
Why it matters
Raises the financial incentive for dealers and redemption centers. by increasing the handling fee from 3.5 cents to at least 5 cents per container, which could help these businesses cover rising operational costs and potentially improve service.
Links future handling fee increases directly to minimum wage hikes. , ensuring that as labor costs rise, the compensation for processing beverage container returns will keep pace, potentially making the recycling system more sustainable and reducing financial strain on small businesses.
Uses the higher of federal or New York state minimum wage as a benchmark. , which means handling fees will always be adjusted based on whichever minimum wage is greater, providing a safeguard against stagnating compensation if one jurisdiction’s wage lags behind the other.
Specifies calculation details for variable minimum wages within New York. , standardizing increases based on rates for large NYC employers, which could create consistency across the state and prevent confusion or uneven benefits for redemption centers in different regions.
Albany, before your first meeting.
Every bill that moved yesterday, summarized in a sentence and ranked by impact. The Albany Scorecard follows on Sundays.
Free. Unsubscribe in one click. Want alerts on specific bills? Create an account.
Who cares
Headline styles
Raise Bottle Redemption Fee
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
3 Co-sponsors
History
- Referred to environmental conservation
- Referred to environmental conservation
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Raise Bottle Deposit Handling Fee
In Senate Committee · Environmental Conservation · Sponsor Tony Avella
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
6816
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
March 21, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. PRETLOW -- read once and referred to the Committee on Environmental Conservation
AN ACT to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to the handling fee paid to a dealer or operator of a redemption center for the redemption of empty beverage containers
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 6 of section 27-1007 of the environmental conservation law, as added by section 4 of part SS of chapter 59 of the laws 2009, is amended to read as follows:
6. (a) In addition to the refund value of a beverage container as established by section 27-1005 of this title, a deposit initiator shall pay to any dealer or operator of a redemption center a handling fee [of three and one-half cents] for each beverage container accepted by the deposit initiator from such dealer or operator of a redemption center as specified in paragraphs (b), (c) and (d) of this subdivision. Payment of the handling fee shall be as compensation for collecting, sorting and packaging of empty beverage containers for transport back to the deposit initiator or its designee. Payment of the handling fee may not be conditioned on the purchase of any goods or services, nor may such payment be made out of the refund value account established pursuant to section 27-1012 of this title. A distributor who does not initiate deposits on a type of beverage container is considered a dealer only for the purpose of receiving a handling fee from a deposit initiator.
(b) Except as otherwise provided in this subdivision, the handling fee paid shall not be less than five cents.
(c) Beginning December thirty-first, two thousand eighteen, each year a new federal or New York state minimum wage is to take effect, but not later than the date that the new federal or New York state minimum wage is to take effect, the commissioner shall determine the handling fee to be in effect pursuant to this subdivision. Subject to paragraph (d) of
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10680-01-7
A. 6816 2
this subdivision, the handling fee determined pursuant to this subdivision shall be:
(i) not less than the amount in effect under paragraph (b) on the date of such determination;
(ii) increased from such amount by the percentage increase in the newly effective federal or New York state minimum wage; and
(iii) rounded to the nearest multiple of $0.005.
(d) The handling fee shall only be increased by the percentage increase in a newly effective federal minimum wage pursuant to paragraph (c) of this subdivision if the federal minimum wage is set at an amount higher than the New York state minimum wage. Otherwise, the handling fee shall be increased only by the percentage increase in a newly effective New York state minimum wage pursuant to paragraph (c) of this subdivision. If a newly effective New York state minimum wage increases based on a wage rate schedule that varies throughout New York state, then the percentage increase to be used for calculating the handling fee shall be based on the wage rate applicable to city of New York employers with eleven employees or more pursuant to paragraph (c) of this subdivision.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.