Maryland Voters Express Overwhelming Support for a Beverage Container Deposit Program to Reduce Litter and Plastic Pollution, New Poll Shows

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Lesley Paredes, lesley.paredes-hernandez@sierraclub.org. 

Annapolis, MD – A recent public opinion poll has found that more than 90% of Maryland voters would support a beverage container deposit program to prevent littered and wasted beverage containers and reduce plastic pollution. These programs, also known as beverage container redemption programs or “bottle bills,” would add a small refundable deposit on the purchase of beverage containers, which would be refunded when the container is returned for recycling. Ninety-five percent of poll respondents said they were concerned about the environmental and health impact of plastic beverage containers and pollution.

The statewide poll, conducted between December 27, 2024 and January 4, 2025 by Gonzales Research and Media Services, was commissioned by the Maryland Sierra Club to understand the support of Maryland voters for a bill under consideration by the 2025 General Assembly.

According to the Container Recycling Institute, about 5.5 billion beverage containers are sold each year in Maryland, but only a quarter are captured for recycling. As a result, more than 4 billion beverage containers, 2.6 billion of which are plastic, end up in the environment annually -- in landfills, on roadsides, or in waterways -- or are incinerated.   

“Maryland’s rivers, parks, and neighborhoods are blighted by litter,” said Christopher E. Williams, President of the Anacostia Watershed Society. “After a rainfall, the Anacostia River watershed is choked by trash pollution. It doesn’t have to be this way. A strong beverage container deposit program would keep that plastic pollution out of our neighborhoods, rivers, and the Chesapeake Bay, and put it into the recycling stream where it belongs.”

Environmental advocates across Maryland have been lobbying for the state to adopt a beverage container redemption program to reduce beverage container litter and plastic pollution. These programs are highly effective in reducing litter and diverting used containers from trash to recycling. Ten U.S. states have had them for decades. Australia, Canada and a growing number of European countries are adopting deposit-return systems to achieve targets set by the European Union’s Single-Use Plastic Directive, to reduce plastic pollution. 

The Maryland program under consideration would add a 10-cent refundable deposit to the purchase price of beverages in most plastic, metal, and glass beverage containers. The deposit would be refunded when the container is returned for recycling at a convenient retailer or redemption center. The program would be funded by beverage producers, not taxpayers.

Respondents to the poll were asked whether they personally would support or oppose the proposed program to reduce litter and plastic pollution. Overall, 91% of them said they would support it (63% strongly supportive and 27% somewhat supportive), while only 8% would oppose it and 2% did not answer the question. More than 80% of respondents in different Maryland regions, political affiliations, and demographic groups said they would support the program.

“Based on experience elsewhere, the Maryland program would divert 90% of beverage containers sold in the state from litter and waste to recycling, removing from the environment an additional 3.6 billion beverage containers annually, of which 2.3 billion are plastic bottles,” said Martha Ainsworth, Chair of the Maryland Sierra Club’s Zero Waste Team. “The program would significantly reduce litter and plastic pollution, reduce costs for taxpayers, and this poll shows that the voting public overwhelmingly supports it. Now is the time for the General Assembly to seal the deal and pass the Maryland bottle bill.”  

The Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore owns and operates “Mr. Trash Wheel” trash interceptors in the Baltimore Harbor. According to Adam Lindquist, Vice President of the organization, Mr. Trash Wheel has collected 2.4 million plastic bottles from Baltimore Harbor, including a quarter million just last year. “The statewide ban on foam food containers reduced foam collected by 88%,” he said. “We anticipate a similar drop in plastic bottle litter should the General Assembly pass this popular and highly effective program.”

The poll reached 811 registered voters across the state, with a margin of error of +/- 3.5%. 

Read the full report.

The Beverage Container Recycling Refund and Litter Reduction Program before the 2025 Maryland General Assembly is sponsored by Delegate Jen Terrasa (HB232) and Senator Benjamin Brooks (SB346). 


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