For Immediate Release
Monday, October 19, 2026
Contact: David Whitehead
david.whitehead@sierraclub.org
202-417-6752
Big Beverage Corporations Spend Millions to Try to Kill Local DC Bill that would Reduce Pollution
Lobbying records show that the American Beverage Association (ABA) has spent millions of dollars to defeat the measure, pretending to care about consumer prices and using false claims as a scare tactic to defeat a proven anti-pollution policy.
The American Beverage Association has spent nearly $2 million so far this year to fight the District Bottle Bill, according to the latest activity report the trade association filed with the District Board of Ethics in Government Accountability (BEGA) on October 15, 2026. The report captures the ABA’s lobbying expenses, including for lobbyists, ads and publications, from January 1 through September 30, 2026. The timing of these expenses correlates with ABA-funded text messages, mailers, and ads spreading corporate lies and misinformation about the Recycling Refund and Litter Reduction Amendment Act of 2025, colloquially known as the DC Bottle Bill. Their materials threaten rising prices if the council adopts the DC Bottle Bill, despite the fact that they have never produced evidence that beverage prices rise due to bottle bills. In fact, a government study shows prices are consistent across bottle bill and non-bottle bill states.
“It’s no surprise they’re spending so much against this bill – and it’s not because they’re worried about consumers. They know that bottle bills work, and they, the polluters, will be forced to pay and be responsible for their own pollution. They will say all sorts of things to try to defeat this bill, but in the end it seems they just care about their own profits,” said Susan Schorr, co-chair of the Zero Waste Committee of the District of Columbia Chapter of the Sierra Club.
Flooding corporate money into local politics is part of the ABA’s standard playbook, according to the Bottle Bill Resource Guide. Historically, opponents have lavished spending on lobbying and campaign contributions to defeat bottle bills around the country. It explains why there have been no new bottle bills passed in over twenty years, despite how successful the policy is in states where it has been enacted.
This amount of spending is unusual for local DC legislative efforts. By comparison, during the recent mayoral election (one of the most expensive of all time), PACs spent just under $2 million in support of democratic-nominee Janeese Lewis George and her then-opponent Kenyan McDuffie. It is rare for corporate entities to spend so much to try and influence a single piece of local DC legislation.
“We’re seeing billionaires and their corporations interfere with so many aspects of our lives, and we’re fed up,” said David Whitehead, Chapter Director of the District of Columbia Chapter of the Sierra Club. “Recent polls reflect what we have heard throughout this campaign and our thousands of conversations with DC voters: bottle bills are popular because they work, and they create incentives for residents to return containers. The ABA and their corporate backers have helped kill bottle bill efforts in other states for years. They are spending this ridiculous amount of money because they are scared of the nation’s capital passing a bottle bill and creating a domino effect. Bottle bill efforts are underway in both Maryland and Virginia. It’s clear these corporations see stopping this bill as a top priority, and they have no shame about spreading misinformation and lies with their money,” explained Whitehead.
Under the proposed bill, based on similar legislation in 10 other states, consumers would pay a fully refundable 10-cent deposit on most beverages sold in closed plastic and glass bottles and aluminum cans. The bill would significantly reduce litter on streets, sidewalks, parks and waterways.
While the ABA has tried to make the bill about costs to consumers, evidence from every other state that has implemented a deposit-return program shows that the cost to consumers does not go up because of bottle bills. Consumers get every penny back on the deposit they pay when they return bottles and cans – usually at the same places they purchased them.
Any person can verify it by simply searching online. On October 10th, we searched the price of a 24-pack of Coca-Cola sold at Wegmans in two bottle bill states and two non-bottle bill states. We found that the price was identical – $13.99 – in Washington, DC (currently no deposit program), Norwalk, CT (10-cent deposit), Malvern, PA (no deposit), and 50 cents cheaper – $13.49 – in DeWitt, NY, a suburb of Syracuse (New York State has a 5-cent deposit). If bottle bills impact prices, why can you buy a Coke cheaper in a bottle bill state than a non-bottle bill state? The answer is because bottle bills don’t raise consumer prices.
“The District can’t afford to not adopt a bottle bill,” said Schorr. “It’s time to hold big beverage corporations accountable for the never-ending pollution caused by their bottles and cans.”
Under District Bill 26-0058, the District Recycling Refund and Litter Reduction Amendment Act of 2025, big companies like Coca-Cola and PepsiCo will fund a highly efficient deposit-return program. Not only can we expect to cut our litter by up to 84 percent, but the bill will also save the District government millions to fund cleanups that can’t keep pace with the volume of pollution caused by the 617 million covered beverage containers sold in the District each year. The District currently pays some $20 million on cleanup costs, according to Councilmember Brianne Nadeau, who chairs the Council Committee on Public Works.
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The Sierra Club is the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the country. The District of Columbia Chapter comprises thousands of members and supporters advocating to protect our climate and environment in the District of Columbia.