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Connecticut Bottle Bill Must Be Updated, Nonprofit Urges

The Arc Eastern Connecticut is calling for a change to the state’s 1978 Bottle Bill to help save its Woodstock redemption center.

The nonprofit, which employs 12 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, is the only one of its kind in the region.

CEO Kathleen Stauffer says the Bottle Bill must be updated to increase both the bottle deposits and the items that can be redeemed.

“We have a redemption center in Woodstock. People with intellectual and developmental disabilities make minimum wage recycling and getting the critical job skills that will allow us to help them gain community employment, and that redemption center is losing $50,000 a year.”

Stauffer says the recycling problem is compounded by China no longer paying to accept American recyclables.

“Recyclers have fallen out of the business because they can’t afford to lose money, and we can’t either. And when we shut that down, and we’re going to have to because we can’t sustain a loss, 1 million pieces of trash will be back on the streets.” 

In 2018 the nonprofit processed 1.6 million bottles and cans.