National Beverage Container Reuse and Recycling Act

Summary

National Beverage Container Reuse and Recycling Act - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to set forth the Beverage Container Reuse and Recycling Act. Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to prescribe regulations to: (1) establish who is a retailer with respect to the sale of beverages in containers to consumers through beverage vending machines; and (2) set forth conditions under which a beverage container must be submitted in order to be redeemed and provide for the establishment of a refund mechanism. Directs the Administrator to establish a program to prohibit distributors or retailers from offering beverage containers for sale in interstate commerce unless they are labeled with the refund value. Provides that such program shall require: (1) a retail or redemption center to pay consumers the amount of the refund value on a refundable beverage container tendered to the retailer or redemption center; (2) the appropriate State agency or other entity designated by the Administrator to pay a retailer, redemption center, or consumer tendering a refundable beverage container to a recycling entity the amount of the refund value on such container; (3) no beverage to be offered for sale in interstate commerce at wholesale unless the distributor charges, and the retailer pays, a minimum of ten cents on each beverage container; (4) no beverage to be offered for sale in interstate commerce for retail unless the retailer charges, and the consumer pays, a minimum of ten cents on each beverage container; (5) the distributor to deposit all moneys collected pursuant to such program; and (6) unclaimed deposits to be made available for purposes of paying a handling fee of up to two cents for each container or to promote comprehensive recycling. Prescribes penalties for violations of such program. Exempts from this Act's requirements any State that: (1) for a period of 18 consecutive months following this Act's enactment date, achieves a recycling or reuse rate of beverage containers equal to 70 percent of the containers sold at retail in such State during the preceding 18-month period; and (2) has a beverage container recycling or reuse program that is equally as stringent as the program under this Act and that complies with requirements for State programs. Sets forth minimum requirements for State programs.

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2 official files

• Introduced in Senate (text)

  Introduced in Senate · EN

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• Introduced in Senate

  summary · EN · 18 June 1991

  Open at official source

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