Chair McDuffie urges caution on Bottle Bill, citing economic and equity concerns

Chair Kenyon McDuffie provided a detailed memorandum on Bill 26-58, the Recycling Refund and Litter Reduction Amendment Act of 2025 (the Bottle Bill), but emphasized the committee would take no action at this meeting. McDuffie said the committee received hundreds of calls, emails, and letters both supporting and opposing the bill and that the bill’s potential economic impact requires additional preparation and study before committee action.

McDuffie outlined concerns raised in the memorandum: that bottle-deposit programs can be expensive and operationally burdensome, that they can require retailers to serve as redemption facilities with space and sanitation challenges, and that the district’s current financial climate may not support implementation. He further said testimony indicated only "3 grocery stores are in neighborhoods that serve the district's most vulnerable communities," raising equity concerns about access to redemption facilities. "While a clean DC is a priority for us ... I firmly believe that the district's existing financial climate cannot support a bottle deposit program," McDuffie said.

Councilmember Charles Allen thanked McDuffie and said he would include the memo in the Committee on Transportation and the Environment's record as that committee takes up the bill and continues stakeholder outreach. The committee adjourned after acknowledging staff work; no committee-level action was taken on the Bottle Bill at this meeting.