You could be reimbursed for every recycled drink container under this NJ bill

Do you recycle your cans and bottles?

If the answer is no, would an extra 10 cents per bottle in your pocket encourage you to recycle more often?

These are two big questions around a bill being considered by the state Legislature that would require returnable beverage containers to be used in New Jersey and create an incentive program to encourage New Jerseyans to recycle them.

The bill, called the Beverage Container Deposit Act, was introduced in the Senate and referred to the Senate Environment and Energy Committee on May 6. Its two primary sponsors are Sens. Raj Mukherji and Andrew Zwicker. Sen. Bob Smith is the co-sponsor of the bill.

Here is everything you need to know about New Jersey's bottle bill and how recycling empty containers could affect you in the future.

The Beverage Container Deposit Act

As described on the New Jersey Legislature website, the bill "requires use of returnable beverage containers in NJ and establishes deposit and refund system to facilitate return of such containers to manufacturers for reuse or proper disposal."

If the bill becomes law, two years after its enactment every filled beverage container sold or offered for sale in New Jersey would need to be a returnable container, have a refund value of 10 cents when empty and be clearly identified by a stamp, label or other mark that declares the name of the state and the container's refund value.

Qualifying containers would include bottles, cans, cartons, pouches or aseptic packaging such as juice boxes made from glass, plastic, cardboard, paper or metal.

Any distributor or seller in New Jersey who does not follow the requirements could be subject to fines between $100 and $1,000 for each day of violation in addition to a restitution payment equal to the loss resulting from the violation.

Deposit and refund program

Under the bill, when a retailer, such as a grocery or convenience store, buys beverages from a distributor, they will pay a 10-cent deposit for each container that they purchase. Then, the customer will pay an extra 10 cents per container when they purchase the beverage from the retailer.

When the container is empty, the customer can return it to a store, supermarket or other redemption center and be reimbursed 10 cents for each qualifying returned container.

For example, if you purchase a six-pack of soda during your shopping trip, you would pay an extra 60 cents for it. You could then return the empty soda cans to the seller and be reimbursed the 60 cents. Stores may place a limit of $25 on the amount that a single person can be issued in container refunds in one day.

Then the seller can return the containers to the distributor and be reimbursed the original deposit.

The distributor will then be required to return the empty containers to the manufacturer for reuse, recycling or proper disposal.

Ten other states have similar programs

New Jersey is not the first state to propose this type of bottle bill, as 10 other states already have similar programs in place. They are California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Oregon and Vermont.

The deposit amounts in these states range from 2 cents to 15 cents depending on the type of beverage and the container's volume.

These laws are designed to "reduce litter and capture bottles, cans, and other containers for recycling," says the National Conference of State Legislatures.

According to a bottle bill fact sheet from Clean Water Action, bills such as this one can have numerous benefits, including an increase in recycling, saving energy and reducing toxic materials.

"A 10-cent deposit on most beverage containers, including water, soft drinks, sports drinks, juice, beer, and wine, would save New Jersey energy, prevent litter, keep recyclable materials out of our landfills and incinerators, and save taxpayers money in waste management," said Clean Water Action. "New Jersey should be a leader and join this group with the best Deposit Return System."

This is not the first time New Jersey lawmakers have considered this type of bill. A previous bill called the Smart Container Act was reviewed for five legislative sessions between 2008 and 2016.

While such bills do have a lot of supporters, there are also people and organizations who do not support them, such as the New Jersey Food Council, which came out in opposition to the original Smart Container Act, saying it would be wasteful and expensive and would disrupt solid waste management programs, among other problems.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ recycling bill could reimburse you for empty drink containers