The returnable bottle deposit in Connecticut is ten cents per eligible container. That refund applies to most sealed beer, soda, water, juice, tea, coffee, sports drink, and energy drink bottles and cans sold in the state, and you claim it by bringing empties back to a retailer, a reverse vending machine, or a licensed redemption center.
How Much Each Container Is Worth
Every qualifying container carries a ten-cent refund value, and that amount is the same for carbonated and noncarbonated drinks.1Justia Law. Connecticut Code Title 22a-244 – Beverage Containers Refund Value Exceptions Labeling and Design Requirements Connecticut doubled the deposit from five cents on January 1, 2024, giving the state one of the highest deposit values in the country.
Which Drinks Carry a Deposit
The state’s Bottle Bill splits covered drinks into two groups. Carbonated beverages include beer, other malt beverages, hard seltzer, hard cider, mineral water, soda water, and carbonated soft drinks.2Justia Law. Connecticut Code Title 22a-243 – Definitions Essentially any fizzy drink on a store shelf qualifies.
The noncarbonated group expanded in 2023 and now includes water (flavored, plant, and nutritionally enhanced), juice, juice drinks, tea, coffee, kombucha, plant-infused drinks, sports drinks, and energy drinks.2Justia Law. Connecticut Code Title 22a-243 – Definitions If the label identifies the product as one of those, the container is deposit-bearing.
Container Sizes and Types That Qualify
The deposit applies to individual, sealed glass, metal, or plastic bottles, cans, jars, and cartons. Carbonated containers must hold three liters or less. Noncarbonated containers must hold two and a half liters or less.2Justia Law. Connecticut Code Title 22a-243 – Definitions A 12-ounce can, a 20-ounce bottle, and a one-liter bottle all count. A gallon jug of water does not, and neither does a three-liter noncarbonated bottle.
On the small end, anything below 150 milliliters is excluded.2Justia Law. Connecticut Code Title 22a-243 – Definitions That matters most for miniature liquor bottles, known as nips, which typically hold 50 milliliters and fall below the floor. Nips carry a separate five-cent surcharge at the register, but that money goes to the municipality, not back to you.
What Is Not Covered
Several categories sit outside the program:
- Wine and spirits. The statute expressly excludes any product containing wine or spirits, so wine bottles, liquor bottles, and canned cocktails made with spirits are not redeemable.2Justia Law. Connecticut Code Title 22a-243 – Definitions
- Milk and dairy beverages. Milk is not named in either beverage definition, so milk cartons and jugs carry no deposit.
- Dietary supplements and medical food. Products classified as food for special dietary use under federal law, or as medical food, are excluded from the noncarbonated definition.2Justia Law. Connecticut Code Title 22a-243 – Definitions
- Drinks bought aboard interstate trains, buses, or other passenger carriers.1Justia Law. Connecticut Code Title 22a-244 – Beverage Containers Refund Value Exceptions Labeling and Design Requirements
- Containers above the three-liter or two-and-a-half-liter caps, or below 150 milliliters.
Where to Return Empty Containers
Retail Stores
Any retailer that sells deposit beverages must accept empties of the same kinds it sells and pay you the refund. A store can refuse a container only for a few specific reasons: it contains foreign material like cigarette butts or dirt, it lacks the required labeling, or the store sponsors a redemption center within one mile that accepts the same types.3Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Bottle Bill Legislation Some stores legitimately redirect you to a nearby redemption center rather than handling returns at the counter.
Reverse Vending Machines
Larger chains are required to install reverse vending machines. A chain operating ten or more Connecticut locations under common ownership, where a given store devotes at least 7,000 square feet to merchandise display, must maintain at least two of these machines.4Justia Law. Connecticut Code Title 22a-245e – Reverse Vending Machines You feed containers in, the machine scans each barcode, and it prints a receipt you can cash out or apply to your purchase.
Redemption Centers
Redemption centers are standalone facilities licensed by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to accept and sort empties. They usually process much higher volumes than retail counters, which makes them the practical choice for fundraising groups or anyone clearing out a garage full of bags. DEEP posts a list of licensed centers with addresses and hours.5Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Connecticut Redemption Centers One caveat: a redemption center attached to a specific retailer may refuse brands the store doesn’t sell, so call first if you’re driving out of your way.
Getting Your Containers Accepted
Labeling matters. Every deposit container must show the refund value (or the words “return for refund” or “return for deposit”) along with “Connecticut” or “CT” on the container. On metal cans, that marking appears on the top.3Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Bottle Bill Legislation If the mark is missing or illegible, the return can be refused.
Containers also need to be empty and free of foreign material. A dealer can refuse anything with debris inside.3Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Bottle Bill Legislation You don’t need to scrub them; just dump them out and avoid using empties as ashtrays. Crushed cans are accepted by statute, though a reverse vending machine may reject a badly mangled can. If a machine rejects a container you believe qualifies, the store must offer another way to redeem it.
What Happens to Deposits You Don’t Return
Every container that never comes back leaves ten cents on the table. Unclaimed deposits are split between beverage distributors and the state, with the distributors’ share growing as the statewide redemption rate rises. Anything you toss in the trash is money that stays with the beverage industry or the General Fund instead of coming back to you.