An Act to expand the bottle bill

This bill expands Massachusetts' existing bottle deposit law to include a wider range of drinkable liquids, such as water and sports drinks, while explicitly excluding items like milk, infant formula, and small-scale juice producers. Under the new rules, the refundable deposit on beverage containers would increase from five cents to ten cents, applying to most prepackaged containers up to 2.5 liters for non-carbonated drinks and 3 liters for carbonated ones. The legislation also adjusts the size requirement for businesses to qualify for exemptions from refunding requirements, raising the threshold from 1,000 to 2,000 square feet. Additionally, it clarifies that redemption centers and reverse vending machines must pay the refund immediately unless a customer opts into an account system.