What's happening
This bill expands the definition of "beverage" and "beverage container" in New York's litter control law to include more drink types and require refillable containers.
Why it matters
Expanding the list of covered beverages means more types of drink containers (like fruit juices, iced tea, milk, wine, and liquor) will be subject to deposit and recycling requirements, potentially reducing litter from these sources.
By requiring beverage containers to be refillable and capable of at least 25 reuses, the bill aims to significantly cut down on single-use packaging, encouraging both manufacturers and consumers to shift toward more sustainable, reusable systems.
Including a wider range of beverage types and mandating refillable containers could drive innovation in packaging, alter market practices, and impact how retailers and producers manage product distribution and returns.
The changes could lead to reduced landfill waste, lower resource consumption, and increased environmental benefits for New York, but may also require upfront investments in new infrastructure and processes for collection, cleaning, and refilling containers.
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
Add Milk, Wine, Liquor
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to environmental conservation
- Referred to environmental conservation
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
109
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE (Prefiled)
January 4, 2017
Introduced by Sen. HOYLMAN -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Environmental Conservation
AN ACT to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to litter control
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivisions 1 and 2 of section 27-1003 of the environmental conservation law, as amended by section 2 of part SS of chapter 59 of the laws of 2009, are amended to read as follows:
1. "Beverage" means carbonated soft drinks, fruit juices, iced tea beverages, milk, water, beer, other malt beverages, wine, liquor and [a] wine [product] products as defined in subdivision thirty-six-a of section three of the alcoholic beverage control law. "Malt beverages" means any beverage obtained by the alcoholic fermentation or infusion or decoction of barley, malt, hops, or other wholesome grain or cereal and water including, but not limited to ale, stout or malt liquor. "Water" means any beverage identified through the use of letters, words or symbols on its product label as a type of water, including any flavored water or nutritionally enhanced water, provided, however, that "water" does not include any beverage identified as a type of water to which a sugar has been added.
2. "Beverage container" means the individual, separate, sealed glass, metal, aluminum, steel or plastic bottle, can or jar used for containing less than one gallon or 3.78 liters at the time of sale or offer for sale of a beverage intended for use or consumption in this state and which is refillable with a capacity to be refilled and resold not less than twenty-five times. Beverage containers sold or offered for sale or distributed aboard aircraft or ships shall be considered as intended for use or consumption outside this state.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeeding the date upon which it shall have become a law.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05601-01-7
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the environmental conservation law, in relation to litter control
Purpose
To include fruit juices, milk, wine and liquor in the definition of "beverage."
Summary of provisions
This bill would amend subdivisions one and two of section 27-1003 of the environmental conservation law by including in the definition of "beverage" fruit juices, milk, wine, and liquor, and by requiring that all beverage containers one gallon or less be refillable with a capacity to be refilled and resold at least twenty-five times.
Justification
The success in cleaning up the environment of beverage containers that has already been met should be sufficient reason to broaden the types of containers which this law should regulate. There is no difference between a discarded bottle of beer or a discarded bottle of wine and the law should be amended to reflect this fact. Furthermore, by amending the law to require that containers be refillable the sheer volume of discarded beverage containers would substantially decrease, thereby allowing the state to reap widespread environmental rewards.
Prior legislative history
S.4320-A of 2015-2016 (Hoylman): Died in Environmental Conservation A.495-A of 2015-2016 (Englebright): Died in Environmental Conservation A.1936 of 2013-2014 (Englebright): Died in Environmental Conservation
Fiscal implications for state and local governments
To be determined.
Effective date
On the first of January after the bill becomes law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.