• Community Survey: Your Bottle Return Experience

    New York’s bottle and can redemption system is rapidly losing access as redemption centers close due to outdated handling fees and lack of legislative action. This survey collects real experiences from community members, businesses, and organizations impacted by reduced access to redemption services. Responses may be shared with legislators, media, and advocacy groups to demonstrate the real-world consequences of continued inaction. Estimated completion time: 3–5 minutes.

  • Section 1: About You

  • Section 2: Your Redemption Experience

  • How often do you redeem containers?*
  • Approximately how many containers do you usually redeem?*
  • Have you experienced difficulties redeeming containers at a grocery or convenience store?*

  • Section 3: Access Loss & System Changes

  • Has a redemption center closure impacted you?*
  • Prior to closure, how far did you travel to return containers?
  • How far do you now travel to return containers?
  • Compared to five years ago, returning bottles and cans is:*
  • If your nearest redemption center closed tomorrow, what would you most likely do?*
  • How has reduced access impacted you?
  • If additional redemption centers close due to continued inaction, how do you believe you will be impacted?

  • Section 4: Understanding the System & Financial Pressures

  • How Redemption Centers are Paid: The 5¢ deposit is not income for a redemption center. When you return a container, the center gives you your 5¢ deposit. Therefore it is not part of their pay.

    To pay the actual costs of operating the business — including employees, rent, utilities, insurance, equipment and other expenses — redemption centers receive a separate 3.5¢ handling fee for each eligible container processed.

    That 3.5¢ rate has not increased since 2009.

    In 2009, one full-time minimum-wage employee cost approximately $15,000 per year. Today, that same full-time position costs approximately $33,000 per year — more than double — before additional employer payroll costs.

    Redemption centers are therefore trying to pay 2026 expenses with a payment rate set in 2009.

    The handling fee is paid for by beverage distributors and is separate from the consumer's deposit. Increasing the handling fee does not reduce the 5¢ consumers receive back.

  • After seeing how redemption centers are compensated, do you believe it is reasonable for the handling fee to remain at the same 3.5¢ rate established in 2009?*
  • Do you believe the handling fee should be periodically adjusted as operating costs increase, rather than remaining unchanged for many years?*
  • What do you believe would be a fair handling fee today?*
  • Do you feel redemption centers are being treated fairly under the current system?*
  • Do you believe timely legislative action could help prevent additional redemption center closures?*

  • Section 5: Fundraising & Community Impact

  • Do you participate in a bottle/can fundraising program?*
  • Has your organization had to change where it returns containers due to a closure, access problem, payment issue, or other service problem?
  • How many times has your organization had to change redemption locations due to closures or other access/service problems?
  • How has this impacted your organization?
  • Do you believe these impacts could have been prevented with timely legislative action?*
  • Approximately what percentage of donated containers are ultimately not redeemable?
  • Could your organization realistically return containers through stores if redemption centers were unavailable?*

  • Section 6: Understanding Deposits & Unredeemed Containers

  • How unredeemed deposits work: When you purchase a covered beverage in New York, you pay a 5¢ deposit. When you return the container, you receive that 5¢ back. If the container is never redeemed, the deposit becomes an “unredeemed deposit.”

    Today, 80% of unredeemed deposits go to New York State and 20% remain with beverage distributors.

    Before 2009, beverage distributors retained unredeemed deposits. Beverage distributors are also responsible for paying handling fees and other costs associated with operating the redemption system.

    There are different views about how unredeemed deposit money should be used—including helping fund the redemption system, supporting redemption centers and consumer access, remaining with beverage distributors to offset system costs, or continuing to provide revenue to New York State.

  • Before taking this survey, were you aware of what happens to unredeemed deposits in New York?*
  • How do you believe unredeemed deposit money should be used? Select the option that most closely reflects your opinion.*
  • Do you believe New York State should financially benefit when fewer containers are redeemed?*
  • Are you concerned that allowing the State to receive revenue from unredeemed deposits creates a financial incentive that conflicts with the goal of maximizing container redemption?*
  • If unredeemed deposit funds were used within the bottle deposit system, which should receive the highest priority?*

  • Section 7: What Consumers Want Changed

  • Do you find it confusing to keep track of which containers have a deposit and which do not?
  • What do you do with non-deposit containers?
  • Which changes would you like to see accomplished in 2027?
  • Which THREE actions should be the highest priority?
  • Which additional beverages should have a deposit?
  • If you could choose only ONE improvement, which would have the greatest positive impact on your ability to redeem containers?
  • Do you believe consumers should continue to have convenient, local access to redeem their deposits?

  • Section 8: Legislative Accountability

  • Do you believe your elected representatives should take action on this issue in the next legislative session, even if it is not a perfect or final solution?*
  • How do you feel about the lack of action on the redemption center crisis so far?*
  • Do you feel that continued inaction on this issue is acceptable?*
  • Have you seen your State Senator publicly address the redemption center crisis (e.g., social media, press, meetings, or official statements)?*
  • Have you seen your Assembly Member publicly address the redemption center crisis (e.g., social media, press, meetings, or official statements)?*
  • Will your representatives’ actions (or lack of action) on this issue influence your future voting decisions?

  • Section 9: Final Message

  • Do you feel the current system encourages or discourages people from redeeming their containers?*

  • Section 10: Consent

  • May we anonymously quote your written comments in advocacy materials, public presentations, media, or communications with legislators?
  • May we share your complete survey response with legislators, policymakers, or media?
  • Should be Empty: