For Further Research

Maine statutes

Library catalog search

News clippings by subject

Code of Maine Rules Responsibilities under the Returnable Beverage Container Law

About Topical
Legislative Histories


Abbreviations & Terms
Maine's Bottle Bill
Updated through the 130th Legislature

Introduction
Maine's “Bottle Bill” was enacted as §16 of “An Act to Improve Solid Waste Management” (PL 1975, c. 739). This section specifically was approved at referendum on November 2, 1976.

The Bottle Bill was codified in Title 32, Chapter 28 of the Maine Revised Statutes until 2015. PL 2015, c. 166 repealed this chapter and enacted Title 38, Chapter 33, which transferred administration of the program to the Maine Department of Environmental Protection. This legislative history includes session laws enacting and amending these chapters since 1976.


Browse by Session Law:  



Year LD Amendments Final Disposition Legislative Record
Debate & Remarks
Other Documents & News Clips Full LD
History
1976 LD 2249

AN ACT to Improve Solid Waste Management
Enacted with amendments:

S-486
S-489
S-490
S-491
PL 1975, c. 739, §16

Approved at
Nov. 2, 1976 referendum

Yes:  274,164
No:   200,200
Senate, February 26, 1976
p. 282-283

House, February 27, 1976
p. 288

House, March 22, 1976
p. 558-559

House, March 24, 1976
p. 641-643

House, March 25, 1976
p. 670

House, March 25, 1976
p. 686-687

Senate, March 26, 1976
p. 745-746

Senate, March 29, 1976
p. 790-792

House, March 30, 1976
p. 808-810

Senate, March 30, 1976
p. 823-824

House, April 1, 1976
p. 889-890

Senate, April 2, 1976
p. 925
Report:  Report study on solid waste, recycling litter reduction and reuse of consumer and industrial goods (Mar. 1976)

News Clips:
  Please contact a Reference Librarian.
N/A
1977 LD 662

AN ACT Relating to the Law Governing the Manufacturers, Distributors
and Dealers of Beverage Containers
Enacted with amendments:

S-125
H-343
PL 1977, c. 381 Senate, May 23, 1977
p. 1198-1200

Senate, June 22, 1977
p. 1927-1928

N/A N/A
1977 LD 1890

AN ACT to Make Additional Corrections of Errors and Inconsistencies in the Laws of Maine

OTP-ND:
LD 1896
Enacted with amendments:

H-901     H-928
H-904     H-931
H-906     H-933
H-907     S-374
H-913     S-375
H-915     S-377
H-917     S-380
H-923     S-381
H-924     S-382
H-925     S-389
H-926
H-927
PL 1977, c. 564, §120 House, July 7, 1977
p. 2302-2311

Senate, July 7, 1977
p. 2318

Senate, July 7, 1977
p. 2335-2336

Senate, July 7, 1977
p. 2337

Senate, July 7, 1977
p. 2340

Senate, July 7, 1977
p. 2343-2346

House, July 11, 1977
p. 2386
N/A N/A
1978 LD 2132

AN ACT to Make Additional Corrections of Errors and Inconsistencies in the Laws of Maine

OTP-ND:
LD 2199
Enacted with amendments:

H-1184     H-1208
H-1189     S-567
H-1190     S-569
H-1191     S-571
H-1194     S-572
H-1195     S-573
H-1196     S-574
H-1198     S-575
H-1202     S-576
H-1203     S-577
H-1204     S-578
H-1206     S-579
H-1207     S-580
PL 1977, c. 696, §§243, 383 House, March 17, 1978
p. 631-637

House, March 17, 1978
p. 638

Senate, March 17, 1978
p. 641-645

Senate, March 17, 1978
p. 650-651

N/A N/A
1978 LD 2145

AN ACT to Conform State Statutes to the Maine Administrative Procedure Act
Enacted with amendments:

H-1146
H-1150
PL 1977, c. 694, §585 House, March 14, 1978
p. 564

Senate, March 14, 1978
p. 576
N/A N/A
1979 LD 74

AN ACT to Permit Store Owners to Limit the Hours During which they will Accept Returnable Beverage Containers and to Permit them to Limit the Number of Containers they will Accept from a Single Person or Group at One Time
Enacted with amendment:

H-573
PL 1979, c. 450 No debate. N/A N/A
1979 LD 75

AN ACT to Allow Dealers to Restrict the Hours during which they will Accept Returnable Beverage Containers
Enacted with amendments:

H-574
S-277
PL 1979, c. 456 House, June 6, 1979
p. 1672
N/A N/A
1979 LD 765

An Act Relating to Determination of Refund Values on Beverage Containers
Enacted with amendment:

H-572
PL 1979, c. 462 No debate. N/A N/A
1980 LD 2012

AN ACT Increasing the Minimum Handling Fee for Returnable Beverage
Containers from 1¢ to 2¢
N/A PL 1979, c. 735 House, March 18, 1980
p. 491-494

House, March 19, 1980
p. 534-535

Senate, March 20, 1980
p. 579-582

Senate, March 20, 1980
p. 587-588

House, March 21, 1980
p. 603-604

Senate, March 24, 1980
p. 641-644

House, March 25, 1980
p. 660-661

Senate, March 25, 1980
p. 672
News Clips:  Please contact a Reference Librarian. N/A
1980 LD 2013

AN ACT Prohibiting Nondegradable Connectors for Returnable Beverage Containers
N/A PL 1979, c. 703 Senate, March 18, 1980
p. 519
News Clips:  Please contact a Reference Librarian. N/A
1983 LD 1057

An Act Exempting Interstate Domestic Flights from the Bottle Bill
N/A PL 1983, c. 173 No debate. N/A Yes
1987 LD 895

AN ACT to Extend Maine's Bottle Bill
Enacted with amendments:

S-89
S-94
PL 1987, c. 275 House, May 20, 1987
p. 921-925

Senate, May 22, 1987
p. 1007-1011

Senate, May 27, 1987
p. 1075-1076

Senate, May 27, 1987
p. 1077-1079

House, May 28, 1987
p. 1095-1096

House, June 1, 1987
p. 1156-1157

Senate, June 2, 1987
p. 1227-1228
Committee File:  Please contact a Reference Librarian.

News Clips:  Please contact a Reference Librarian.
Yes
1987 LD 1224

An Act to Ban the Use of Plastic Connectors for Containers
Enacted with amendment:

H-261
PL 1987, c. 373, §4, 5 No debate. Committee File:  Please contact a Reference Librarian.

News Clips:  Please contact a Reference Librarian.
Yes
1987 LD 1893

An Act to Alter the Effective Date of Extension of Maine' s Bottle Bill
N/A PL 1987, c. 543 No debate. Committee File:  Please contact a Reference Librarian. Yes
1988 LD 2104

AN ACT to Change the Definition of Wine Coolers

ONTP-ND:
LD 2544
Enacted with amendment:

H-513
PL 1987, c. 649 Senate, March 18, 1988
p. 477-479

House, March 21, 1988
p. 487-490

House, March 22, 1988
p. 521
Committee File:  Please contact a Reference Librarian. Yes
1988 LD 2472

An Act to Clarify the Obligations of Distributors, Dealers and Redemption Centers
Enacted with amendment:

H-605
PL 1987, c. 722 No debate. Committee File:  Please contact a Reference Librarian. Yes
1989 LD 1099

An Act to Recover Windfall Profits from Bottle Deposits
Enacted with amendment:

H-438
PL 1989, c. 470 No debate. Committee File:  Please contact a Reference Librarian.

News Clips:  Please contact a Reference Librarian.
Yes
1989 LD 1431

An Act to Promote Reduction, Recycling and Integrated Management of Solid Waste and Sound Environmental Regulation
Enacted with amendments:

H-640
H-661
H-663
S-397
PL 1989, c. 585, §§D-2 to D-9 House, June 20, 1989
p. 1604-1615

Senate, June 20, 1989
p. 1646-1656

House, June 21, 1989
p. 1673-1676

Senate, June 21, 1989
p. 1747-1749

Senate, June 21, 1989
p. 1749-1755
Report:  Study on the Impact of Optional Plastic Bags Title 38, Section 1605: a Report to the Joint Standing Committee on Energy and Natural Resources (Mar. 1991)

Committee File:
  Please contact a Reference Librarian.

News Clips:  Please contact a Reference Librarian.
Yes
1989 LD 1704

An Act to Amend the Definition of Labels in the Beverage Container Deposit Law
Enacted with amendment:

S-246
PL 1989, c. 427 No debate. Committee File:  Please contact a Reference Librarian. Yes
1990 LD 2354

An Act to Correct Errors in the Solid Waste Laws
Enacted with amendment:

H-1069
PL 1989, c. 869 House, April 5, 1990
p. 755

House, April 5, 1990
p. 759-760

Senate, April 5, 1990
p. 834-836

Senate, April 6, 1990
p. 879-880

House, April 7, 1990
p. 923-925
Committee File:  Please contact a Reference Librarian.

News Clips:  Please contact a Reference Librarian.
Yes
1990 LD 2405

An Act Regarding Importation of Liquor
Enacted with amendments:

H-951
S-604
PL 1989, c. 817 House, March 20, 1990
p. 559-561
Committee File:  Please contact a Reference Librarian.

News Clips:  Please contact a Reference Librarian.
Yes
1991 LD 1256

An Act Concerning the Packaging of Soymilk
Enacted with amendment:

H-341
PL 1991, c. 304 No debate. Committee File:  Please contact a Reference Librarian. Yes
1991 LD 1271

An Act to Prohibit the Breaking of Glass Products in Games of Skill
Enacted with amendments:

H-246
H-265
PL 1991, c. 251, §2 House, May 8, 1991
p. H-704

Senate, May 13, 1991
p. S-740-S-741

Senate, May 23, 1991
p. S-875-S-877
Committee File:  Please contact a Reference Librarian. Yes
1991 LD 1863

An Act to Improve the Returnable Beverage Container Laws
Enacted with amendment:

S-289
PL 1991, c. 491 No debate. Committee File:  Please contact a Reference Librarian. Yes
1991 LD 1967

An Act Making Unified Appropriations and Allocations for the Expenditures of State Government...for the Fiscal Years Ending June 30, 1991, June 30, 1992 and June 30, 1993
Enacted with amendments:

H-740     H-750
H-741
H-744
H-748
H-749
PL 1991, c. 528 House, July 2, 1991
p. H-1403-H-1406

House, July 6, 1991
p. H-1443-H-1444

House, July 6, 1991
p. H-1445-H-1446

Senate, July 6, 1991
p. S-1483
Committee File:  Please contact a Reference Librarian.

News Clips:  Please contact a Reference Librarian.
Yes
1991 LD 1979

An Act Providing Unified Appropriations and Allocations for the Expenditures of State Government…for the Fiscal Years Ending June 30, 1991, June 30, 1992 and June 30, 1993
Enacted with amendments:

S-467
S-468
PL 1991, c. 591, §§R-1 to R-6 House, July 11, 1991
p. H-12-H-15

Senate, July 12, 1991
p. S-28

Senate, July 13, 1991
p. S-40

House, July 15, 1991
p. H-22

Senate, July 16, 1991
p. S-45
Report:  The Feasibility of Mail Order Pharmacy and Other Cost Containment Strategies in the Low Cost Drugs for the Elderly Program: Staff Report to the Joint Standing Committee on Human Resources (Dec. 1991)

Report:
  Report of the Administrative Costs Task Force (Dec. 1993)

News Clips:
  Please contact a Reference Librarian.
Yes
1992 LD 2131

An Act Relating to Unredeemed Deposits
Enacted with amendments:

H-1034
H-1197
PL 1991, c. 819 House, March 11, 1992
p. H-361-H-366

House, March 16, 1992
p. H-418
Committee File:  Please contact a Reference Librarian.

News Clips:  Please contact a Reference Librarian.
Yes
1993 LD 256

An Act to Allow the Use of Advanced Lightweight Beverage Containers
Enacted with amendment:

H-798
PL 1993, c. 591 House, March 8, 1992
p. H-1655-H-1661

Senate, March 10, 1994
p. S-1571-S-1577

Senate, March 10, 1994
p. S-1579-S-1580
Committee File:  Please contact a Reference Librarian.

News Clips:  Please contact a Reference Librarian.
Yes
1993 LD 394

An Act to Change the Definition of Beverage Container for the Purposes of Recycling
Enacted with amendment:

H-96
PL 1993, c. 72 No debate. Committee File:  Please contact a Reference Librarian. Yes
1993 LD 740

An Act to Amend the Laws Exempting Aseptic Packaging of Milk Substitutes
N/A PL 1993, c. 77 No debate. Committee File:  Please contact a Reference Librarian. Yes
1994 LD 1810

An Act to Strengthen the Maine Bottle Deposit Laws
Enacted with amendments:

H-839
S-605
PL 1993, c. 703 No debate. Committee File:  Please contact a Reference Librarian. Yes
1995 LD 52

An Act Concerning the Labeling of Refundable Beverage Containers
Enacted with amendment:

S-210
PL 1995, c. 437 House, June 23, 1995
p. H-1292
Committee File:  Please contact a Reference Librarian. Yes
1995 LD 229

An Act to Abolish the Maine Waste Management Agency
Enacted with amendments:

H-487
S-373
PL 1995, c. 465, §A-10 Senate, May 31, 1995
p. S-947

House, June 5, 1995
p. H-853

House, June 16, 1995
p. H-1083-H-1084
Report:  Report of the Task Force on Solid Waste Landfills to the Joint Standing Committee on Natural Resources (Feb. 1996)

Committee File:
  Please contact a Reference Librarian.

News Clips:  Please contact a Reference Librarian.
Yes
1995 LD 700

An Act Concerning Fraudulent Redemptions
Enacted with amendment:

H-134
PL 1995, c. 85, §1 House, June 23, 1995
p. H-1292
Committee File:  Please contact a Reference Librarian. Yes
1995 LD 958

An Act to Make Supplemental Appropriations and Allocations for the Expenditures of State Government…for the Fiscal Years Ending June 30, 1996 and June 30, 1997
Enacted with amendments:

H-656
S-398
PL 1995, c. 395, §§P-1 to P-7 House, June 30, 1995
p. H-1456-H-1459

Senate, June 30, 1995
p. S-1567-S-1571
Report:  Report of the Commission on Higher Education Governance: Initial Report (Mar. 1996)

Committee File:
  Please contact a Reference Librarian.
Yes
2000 LD 2487

An Act to Amend the Jurisdiction of the District Court
Enacted with amendment:

H-861
PL 1999, c. 547, §§B-78, B-80 House, March 9, 2000
p. H-1910
Committee File:  Please contact a Reference Librarian. Yes
2001     RR 2001, c. 2, §A-41      
2002 LD 2184

An Act to Implement the Recommendations of the Returnable Container Handling and Collection Study
Enacted with amendment:

S-539
PL 2001, c. 661 No debate. Report:  Final Report of the Joint Study Commission to Study Reimbursement Rates for Maine's Bottle Redemption Business and Other Issues Related to the Handling and Collection of Returnable Containers (Dec. 2001) Yes
2003 LD 985

An Act To Improve the State's Returnable Bottle Law and Adjust Handling Fees
Enacted with amendments:

S-217
S-307
PL 2003, c. 499 House, June 3, 2003
p. H-904-H-905

Senate, June 3, 2003
p. S-912-S-913

House, April 27, 2003
p. H-1751

House, April 29, 2003
p. H-1793
Committee File:  Please contact a Reference Librarian.

News Clips:  Please contact a Reference Librarian.
Yes
2003     RR 2003, c. 1, §34      
2004 LD 1257

An Act To Increase Returnable Beverage Container Redemption Rates
Enacted with amendments:

H-855
H-977
PL 2003, c. 700 House, April 27, 2004
p. H-1751-H-1753

House, April 29, 2004
p. H-1793-H-1795
Committee File:  Please contact a Reference Librarian. Yes
2004 LD 1916

An Act To Correct Errors and Inconsistencies in the Laws of Maine
Enacted with amendments:

H-907     H-952
H-923     H-953
H-946     S-552
H-947     S-555
H-950     S-559
PL 2003, c. 688, §E-1 House, April 16, 2004
p. H-1743-H-1744
Committee File:  Please contact a Reference Librarian. Yes
2007 LD 1759

An Act To Reduce Fraud in the Processing of Beverage Containers
Enacted with amendment:

S-387
PL 2007, c. 299 No debate. Committee File:  Please contact a Reference Librarian. Yes
2007 LD 1904

An Act To Correct Errors and Inconsistencies in the Laws of Maine
Enacted with amendments:

H-630
H-631
PL 2007, c. 466 No debate. Committee File:  Please contact a Reference Librarian. Yes
2009 LD 50

An Act To Clarify the Definition of Hard Cider for the Purposes of the Returnable Container Law
Enacted with amendment:

H-106
PL 2009, c. 110 No debate. Committee File:  Please contact a Reference Librarian. Yes
2009 LD 397

An Act To Amend the Laws Governing Bottle Redemption and To Establish the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources as the Agent in the State for the Purposes of Bottle Redemption
Enacted with amendment:


S-270
PL 2009, c. 405 Senate, June 2, 2009
p. S-914-S-918

House, June 12, 2009
p. H-915-H-917
Committee File:  Please contact a Reference Librarian. Yes
2010 LD 1330

An Act Regarding Gaming by Charitable Organizations
Enacted with amendment:

H-611
PL 2009, c. 487, §B-13 No debate. Committee File:  Please contact a Reference Librarian. Yes
2010 LD 1774

An Act To Strengthen Collection of Unredeemed Beverage Container Deposits
Enacted with amendment:

H-717
PL 2009, c. 592, §1 House, March 22, 2010
p. H-1193
Committee File:  Please contact a Reference Librarian.

News Clips:  Please contact a Reference Librarian.
Yes
2011 LD 1324

An Act To Create Consistency and Fairness in Maine's Bottle Bill
Enacted with amendments:

H-316
S-359
PL 2011, c. 429 Senate, June 8, 2011
p. S-1164-S-1165
Committee File:  Please contact a Reference Librarian.

News Clips:  Please contact a Reference Librarian.
Yes
2011 LD 1746

An Act To Make Supplemental Appropriations and Allocations for the Expenditures of State Government...for the Fiscal Years Ending June 30, 2012 and June 30, 2013
Enacted with amendments:

H-974
S-572
S-587
S-589
PL 2011, c. 657,
§§W-5 and W-6
House, May 15, 2012
p. H-1544-H-1562

Senate, May 15, 2012
p. S-2281-S-2294
Report:  New Pension Plan Design and Implementation Plan (Mar. 2012)

Report: 
Equalization of MaineCare Reimbursement Rates: Inpatient Substance Abuse vs. Inpatient Psychiatric Treatment (July 2012)

Report: 
Report on P.L. 2011, c. 657 - Retirement Plan Implementation (Jan. 2013)

Report: 
New State/Teacher Plan 2: New State/Teacher Retirement Plan Report to the Legislature: Proposed Legislation and Implementation Plan (May 2013)

Report: 
Commission to Study the Public Reserved Lands Management Fund. Report (Dec. 2015)

Committee File:
  Please contact a Reference Librarian.

News Clips:  Please contact a Reference Librarian.
Yes
2013 LD 1080

An Act To Improve Efficiency in the Collection of Beverage Containers
Enacted with amendment:

S-116
PL 2013, c. 275 No debate. Committee File:  Please contact a Reference Librarian.
Yes
2013 LD 1121

An Act To Promote the Production of Maine Beverages
Enacted with amendment:

H-397
PL 2013, c. 259 No debate. Committee File:  Please contact a Reference Librarian. Yes
2015 LD 1366

An Act To Promote Recycling Program Integration and Efficiencies
Enacted with amendment:

S-169
PL 2015, c. 166, §§10, 14 No debate. Committee File:  Please contact a Reference Librarian. Yes
2017 LD 56

An Act To Include 50 Milliliter and Smaller Liquor Bottles in the Laws Governing Returnable Containers
Enacted with amendments:

H-107
H-132
PL 2017, c. 140 House, May 9, 2017
p. H-451-H-454

Senate, May 16, 2017
p. S-639-S-640

House, June 6, 2017
p. H-751-H-753

Senate, June 7, 2017
p. S-925-S-926
Committee File:  Please contact a Reference Librarian.

News Clips:  Please contact a Reference Librarian.
Yes
2017 LD 227

An Act To Exclude Cardboard Beverage Containers from the Laws Governing Returnable Beverage Containers
Enacted with amendment:

S-4
PL 2017, c. 10 No debate. Committee File:  Please contact a Reference Librarian. Yes
2017 LD 1473

An Act To Make Minor Changes and Corrections to Statutes Administered by the Department of Environmental Protection
N/A PL 2017, c. 137, §A-14 No debate. Committee File:  Please contact a Reference Librarian. Yes
2019 LD 248

An Act To Increase the Handling Fee for Beverage Containers Reimbursed to Redemption Centers
Enacted with amendments:

S-20
S-56
PL 2019, c. 133 Senate, April 25, 2019
p. S-490-S-491
Report:  Maine Department of Environmental Protection. Maine's Bottle Bill Program (Jan. 2020)

Committee File:
  Please contact a Reference Librarian.

News Clips:  Please contact a Reference Librarian.
Yes
2019 LD 338

An Act To Allow Flexibility in the Deposit Labeling of Metal Returnable Beverage Containers
N/A PL 2019, c. 11 No debate. Committee File:  Please contact a Reference Librarian. Yes
2019 LD 1628

An Act To Implement Recommendations of the Department of Environmental Protection Regarding the State's Container Redemption Laws
Enacted with amendments:

H-461
S-347
PL 2019, c. 526, §§3-15 No debate. Report:  Maine's bottle bill program : report to the Joint Standing Committee on Environment and Natural Resources 129th legislature, second session (Jan. 2020)

Committee File:
  Please contact a Reference Librarian.
Yes
2019 LD 1789

An Act To Restore the Authority of the Board of Environmental Protection
N/A PL 2019, c. 315, §§19, 20 No debate. Committee File:  Please contact a Reference Librarian. Yes
2021 LD 1635

An Act To Make Minor Changes and Corrections to Statutes Administered by the Department of Environmental Protection
N/A PL 2021, c. 186, §19 No debate. Committee File:  Please contact a Reference Librarian. Yes