Following is the resolution signed by the Barrington Town Council endorsing the proposed Bottle Bill:

TOWN OF BARRINGTON, RI

RESOLUTION

Supporting the Rhode Island Beverage Bottle and Extended Producer Responsibility Bill (H-6207 / S-996)

WHEREAS, Beverage container litter contaminates our streets, parks, roads, and neighborhoods; and

WHEREAS, Empty beverage containers clog stormwater infrastructure necessitating costly maintenance; and

WHEREAS, Beverage containers and beverage container pieces are consistently the most collected items during neighborhood and shoreline cleanups in Rhode Island; and

WHEREAS, Microplastic pollution from single-use plastic items, including beverage containers, now contaminates waterways in (municipality) and throughout the state harming human health and the environment; and

WHEREAS, a 2023 study by researchers at the University of Rhode Island found there is now roughly 1,000 tons of microplastic at the bottom of Narragansett Bay; and

WHEREAS, Rhode Island’s current single-stream recycling program is not adequately preventing enough discarded beverage containers from being littered or landfilled; and

WHEREAS, Rhode Island municipalities collectively spend over $15 million in a typical year to collect and transport recyclables; and

WHEREAS, roughly 29,000 tons of rejected recycling ended up in Rhode Island’s landfill last year; and

WHEREAS, States and countries with bottle bills or deposit return systems for beverage containers have less litter and higher recycling rates and they are extremely popular with residents: in the 10 states that have a bottle bill, 90% of citizens support it; and

WHEREAS, a recent poll showed that Rhode Islanders support a bottle bill by a 27-point margin and the same poll found that 73% of Rhode Islanders are concerned about the landfill reaching capacity in the next twenty years that 85% of Rhode Islanders are concerned about litter and waste on Rhode Island’s shorelines; and

WHEREAS, House Bill 6207 would create an extended producer responsibility (EPR) program for paper products and packaging along with a bottle bill for beverage containers; and

WHEREAS, Municipalities will benefit from the passage of House Bill 6207 because the EPR portion of the bill transfers all recycling-related costs from the municipalities on to the private sector via a producer responsibility organization (PRO); and

WHEREAS, Municipalities will further benefit from the bottle bill portion of House Bill 6207 as it creates an incentive to recycle, which both reduces beverage container litter in communities and increases the amount of recycled product that may be used to create new products.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the council of Barrington urges the General Assembly to pass House Bill 6207, also referred to as the “Rhode Island Beverage Bottle and EPR Bill;” and

LET IT FURTHER BE RESOLVED, that the clerk is directed to send a copy of this resolution to the Honorable Speaker of the House, the Honorable President of the Senate and the members of the Barrington General Assembly delegation.

Approved at the Town Council meeting on June 2, 2025