Empties Pile Up, State Pockets Windfall

The Department of Revenue reported in March collecting $5.57 million in un-redeemed bottle deposits, up from $4.17 million in March 2019. The year-to-year uptick in abandoned deposits last month represented more than a third of revenue growth in this area for the year, and it occurred in just one month when an additional 28 million bottles and cans went un-redeemed.

Residents who used to drop off their bottles when they went shopping were encouraged to either hold on to them until after the state of emergency lifts, or utilize their municipal recycling program or nearby redemption center.

The Berkshire Eagle reports the impact has been been a small, and potentially uncertain, windfall for the state.