Reduce Plastic Pollution in DC

Surfrider Foundation’s Washington DC Chapter is calling on Mayor Muriel Bowser and the DC City Council to pass legislation creating a beverage container deposit system, commonly known as a “bottle bill”.

District residents are increasingly frustrated with and disgusted by beverage container litter and illegal dumping polluting our neighborhoods and waterways. This pollution is an environmental justice issue, disproportionately affecting residents in lower income neighborhoods, and especially in Wards 5, 7, and 8. 

Littered plastic bottles are part of the plastic pollution crisis; plastic particles have been found in drinking water, food, human bodies, and in practically every inch of the globe. This pollution poses significant health risks to humans, especially those in underserved communities where the majority of plastic manufacturing and waste management infrastructure is located. 

Bottle bills are a proven way to drastically increase the rate of recycling for beverage containers, reducing the need to manufacture virgin bottles and lessening the amount incinerated, landfilled, or littered. Two states – Michigan and Oregon – have achieved recycling rates of 90% with a 10-cent deposit. DC’s projected plastic recycling rate for 2023 is a mere 6.5%.

How it works: Customers pay a small deposit when they purchase beverage containers, which is then refunded to them when they return the container to a retailer or redemption facility. The program is self-financing, saving costs to taxpayers and local governments. A share of the unclaimed deposits can fund grant programs for development of refill/reuse bottle systems.

Bottle bills are proven policies to reduce litter, increase recycling rates, and increase the use of recycled materials. Join the Surfrider DC Chapter in supporting a Bottle Bill--send a message to your elected officials today!