MEDIA CONTACT: [email protected]

2026

• • • Container Recycling Institute Releases First-of-Its-Kind Guidebook to Help Prevent Fraud, Free Riding and Errors in Beverage Container Deposit-Return Systems (DRS) (October 1st, 2026)
    • Connecticut’s Beverage Container Redemption Rate Rises 27% From 2024 to 2025, With Nearly All Other Deposit-Return System (DRS)States Not Experiencing Significant Redemption Rate Changes (August 3rd, 2026)

2025

• • • With Its Deposit Return System Improvements in Full Effect, Connecticut’s Beverage Container Redemption Rate Jumps 21% From 2023 to 2024 (August 1st, 2025) 10 States Table/ Connecticut Analysis
    • The bottle bill: An Oregon gem | Susan Collins Commentary (June 13th, 2025)
    • New Analysis of Aluminum Beverage Can Recycling Value Chain Shows Deposit Return Systems as the Most Impactful Strategy to Increase Recycling Rates (January 30th, 2025)

2024

• • • New Data Show That 2023 Beverage Container Redemption Rates in More Than Half of U.S. States With Deposit Return Systems Dropped Slightly Compared to 2022 (August  5th, 2024) 10 States Table/ Details

2023

• • • New CRI Analysis Quantifies Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions That Would Result From Modernizing Massachusetts’ Bottle Bill (December 5th, 2023)
    • CRI Statement on California SB 353 Becoming Law (October 2023)
    • New Data Show That 2022 Beverage Container Redemption Rates in Most U.S. Bottle Bill States Stayed Even or Dropped Compared to 2021 (August 2023)
    • Evidence From New Study Debunks Myth That Deposit Return Systems (DRS) Cause Declines in Beverage Sales (July 2023)
    • CRI Reports Major Errors in the California Budget for the Beverage Container Recycling Fund (June 2023)
    • WA Trails Its Neighbors’ Beverage Recycling Rates. A Bottle Bill Can Change That | Susan Collins Opinion (February 2023)

2022

• • • New Data Shows That 2021 Beverage Container Redemption Rates in Most U.S. Bottle Bill States Did Not Return to Pre-COVID Levels (July 2022)
    • In My Opinion: Looking beyond NWRA’s MRF myopia (March 2022)
    • CRI Conference on Jan. 10 to Cover the Latest Recycling Legislation Developments: Shifting Tides: Trends in Beverage Container Deposit and Packing Legislation (January 2022)

2021

• • • Passage of Connecticut Bottle Bill Expansion Legislation Demonstrates Progress for Container Deposit Programs (June 2021)
    • CRI Presents Courageous Spirit Award to Massachusetts Activist for Miles of Litter Cleanup and Advocacy for Bottle Bill Expansion (March 2021)

2020

• • • Udall, Lowenthal Circulate Blueprints for Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act to State Legislators (August 2020)
    • New Nationwide Bottle Bill Proposal Would Result in a Projected 80% Beverage Container Recycling Rate (Februrary 2020)

2019

• • • The California Crisis – Bottle Recycling in California: How to Get Your Deposits Back (August 2019)
    • CRI Response to Closure of Nearly 300 Bottle Redemption Centers in CA (August 2019)

2018

• • • One-Day Beverage Container Sand Art Design at Southern CA Beach Demonstrates Need for a Sea Change in Recycling Strategies (September, 2018)

2017

• • • CRI Response to PepsiCo Statements on Beverage Container Deposit Systems (August, 2017)
    • A View of Americans’ Use of an Average of 800-Plus Bottles and Cans Annually (August, 2017)
    • New Report Shows Massachusetts Bottle Bill Law Creates Nearly 1,500 Jobs and Contributes Up to $151 Million to State GDP (June, 2017)

2016

• • • Rising Tide of Concern Over Ocean Plastic Pollution: A Growing Impetus for Beverage Container Recycling (June, 2016)
    • California Beverage Container Redemption Centers Lose $20 Million in 2015 Due to State Payment Shortfalls (April, 2016)
    • Immediate Adjustment of Processing Payments is Needed to Avoid Further Closures of Recycling Centers in California (March, 2016)

2015

• • • Overall beverage container recycling continues to hold steady at more than 80% in California (December, 2015)
    • Review of British Columbia’s Container Recycling System 
Shows Strongly Performing System But Finds Growing Issues 
Around Fees and TransparencyReview of British Columbia’s Container Recycling System 
Shows Strongly Performing System But Finds Growing Issues 
Around Fees and Transparency (August, 2015)

2014

• • • Statement of the Container Recycling Institute Regarding Updating the Bottle Bill in Massachusetts (November, 2014)
    • Updated Bottle Bill Heads to November Ballot 
in Massachusetts (July 14th, 2014)

2013

• • • CRI Press Release: New Report on U.S Recycling Rates Reveals Poor 20-Year Track Record (October 2013)
    • Container Recycling Institute Releases Special 2013 Vermont Bottle Bill Report (February 2013)

2012

• • • CRI Announces the Passing of Founder Pat Franklin (October 2012)
  • • CRI Announces New Membership Structure and Webinar Schedule (August 2012)

2011

• • • Increased Recycling of Beverage Containers Creates Jobs:CRI Releases New Report, “Returning to Work: Understanding the Domestic Jobs Impacts from Different Methods of Recycling Beverage Containers” (December 2011)
    • Reporting, for Real. Appeared in “Recycling: The Next 10 Years, Part 2,” Resource Recycling. May 2011.

2010

• • • On First Anniversary of NY’s Bottle Law Expansion, Early Returns Show Strong Signs of Success (October 29, 2010)
    • Environmental Groups Urge Delaware Officials to “Mend, Not End” Delaware’s Container Deposit Law (February 2, 2010)

2009

• • • CRI Explores System-Wide Costs and Results of Various Recycling Methods: Releases New Report, “Understanding Economic and Environmental Impacts of Single-Stream Collection Systems” (December 8, 2009)
    • Susan Collins to Lead CRI: New Executive Director Brings Deep Experience in Recycling Systems (July 28, 2009)

2008

• • • Container Recycling Institute Releases its Beverage Market Data Analysis: 215 Billion Plastic, Glass and Aluminum Beverage Bottles and Cans Sold in the U.S. 2006; 66% Were not Recycled (December 29, 2008)

2007

• • • CRI Bids Farewell to Founder Pat Franklin, Welcomes New Executive Director (April 23, 2007)
    • Cost of Beverages Soars – So does Beverage Container Waste: American consumers pay more for beverages, get less for their money (February 27, 2007)

2006

• • • Plastic bottle recycling fails to keep up with increasing sales: Wasting up by 136 thousand tons (December 8, 2006)
    • Major Beverage Companies Lack Fizz in Recycling, Report Finds (October, 2006)

2005

• • • Bigger, Better, Bottle Bill Sweeps Through Assembly with Broad Bipartisan Support (June 21, 2005)
    • Stemming the Tide of Trashed Aluminum Cans: Industry Efforts Fall Flat (May 23, 2005)

2004

• • • Americans break record for beverage containers wasted: 129 billion bottles and cans trashed in 2004 (December 30, 2004)
    • One Trillion Aluminum Beverage Cans Trashed in America from 1972-2003 (May 24, 2005)
    • New Poll Shows Strong Support for NY’s Bottle Bill and Proposed Reforms. (February 12, 2004)

2003

• • • Eight states celebrate BIG returns on small deposits (December 18, 2003)
    • Environmental, Recycling Leaders Support Senator Jeffords’ Legislation to Double Bottle and Can Recycling (November 14, 2003)
    • Report shows plastic bottle waste tripled since 1995: Group calls on Coke and Pepsi to stop attacking bottle bills (September 15, 2003)
  • • State Senator Nuciforo Leads Drive to Update the Bottle Bill: Measure Would Generate $5.7 Million in New Revenues to the Commonwealth  [Word, 35 KB] (May 28, 2003)
    • Aluminum Can Recycling Rate Drops for Fifth Year in a Row [Word, 61 KB] (April 16, 2003)

2002

• • • Institute calls on Alcoa to clarify recycling goals and endorse container deposits (October 4, 2002)
    • Americans Trashed 50 Billion Aluminum Beverage Cans in 2001: Report Details Serious Global Environmental Consequences (July 9, 2002)
    • Aluminum Can Recycling Rate Drops Below 50 Percent (April 29, 2002)
    • Senator Jeffords Introduces National Beverage Producer Responsibility Act (April 22, 2002)
    • Coke and Pepsi Responsible for “Trashing America,” Hurting Taxpayers and Environment (April 16, 2002)
    • Environmentalists Hail New Findings on Beverage Container Recycling [PDF, ~43Kb] (January 16, 2002)
    • CRI’s Statement on BEAR’s Beverage Container Recycling Report [PDF, ~17Kb] (January 16, 2002)

2001

• • • Coca-Cola Faces Recycling Challenge (April 2001)
    • Coca-Cola Shareholder Vote on Recycling ‘Better Than Expected‘ (April 2001)
    • Coke and Pepsi Waste Targeted by Environmental Groups: Shareholder Campaign Launched to Increase Recycling (March 2001)
    • Coke Shareholders and Environmental Groups Urge Support for Recycling in Wall Street Journal Advertisement (March 2001)

2000

• • • Congress Failed To Recycle 63 Million Cans And Bottles Since 1995, Valued At Nearly $1 Million (October 2000)
    • Plastic Soda Bottle Waste Doubles In Four-Year Period (April 2000)
    • Aluminum Can Recycling Rate Dispute Continues (May 2000)
    • Aluminum Can Recycling Rate Hits Ten Year Low (April 2000)
    • Recycling Group Reacts To Miller’s Announcement Of National Rollout Of Plastic Beer Bottle (March 2000)

1999

• • • California Recycling Bills Would Benefit Economy and Environment (June 1999)
    • Kentucky Would Benefit From Bottle Bill, Both Economically and Environmentally (June 1999)
    • Last Year More Than 45 Billion Aluminum Cans Did Not Get Recycled (April 1999)

1998

• • • Plastic 20-ounce Coke Bottle Creates Huge Profits for Coca-Cola and Huge Costs for America’s Cities (November 1998)
    • Soda Companies use 4.9 Billion Imported Scrap Aluminum Cans to Inflate Soft Drink Container Recycling Rate (November 1998)

1997

• • • Group says “NO” to Coke’s New ‘Contour Can’ Claiming it Costs More Money and Creates More Waste (September 1997)
    • Beverage Containers Maintain Position as Second Most Littered Item on America’s Beaches (July 1997)
    • Research Group Bursts Soft Drink Industry’s Bubble Soft Drink Container Recycling Rate Drops Again (July 1997)
    • $600 Million Worth of Used Aluminum Beverage Cans Landfilles in 1996 (April 1996)
    • Deposits on Bottles and Cans Could Recycle More Tons Than Discontinued Curbside Program and Save Tax Dollars (March 1997)

1996

• • Aluminum Can Recycling Rate Hits Lowest Point in Six Years (March 1996)
  • Container Recycling Institute Issues Beverage Industry Watch (March 1996)