North Carolina HB 344: Litter Reduction Act of 2025.

Bill Text

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2025
H 1
HOUSE BILL 344

Short Title: Litter Reduction Act of 2025. (Public)
Sponsors: Representatives K. Brown, von Haefen, Hawkins, and Harrison (Primary
Sponsors).
For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.
Referred to: Agriculture and Environment, if favorable, Appropriations, if favorable, Rules,
Calendar, and Operations of the House
March 11, 2025
*H344-v-1*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO REDUCE ROADSIDE AND OTHER LITTERING AND TO ENCOURAGE 2
RECYCLING BY REQUIRING A DEPOSIT ON BEVERAGE CONTAINERS AND 3
REQUIRING REDEMPTION CENTERS TO ACCEPT RETURNED BEVERAGE 4
CONTAINERS AND REFUND THE DEPOSITS. 5
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 6
SECTION 1. Article 9 of Chapter 130A of the General Statutes is amended by 7
adding a new Part to read: 8
"Part 2K. Beverage Container Deposits and Refunds. 9
"§ 130A-309.245. Findings; intent. 10
(a) The General Assembly finds that: 11
(1) Beverage containers constitute a major source of nondegradable litter and 12
solid waste in this State. 13
(2) Litter remains a large problem in North Carolina despite other efforts to 14
discourage littering and to establish criminal penalties under G.S. 14-399 for 15
first-time and subsequent offenses of littering. 16
(3) The collection and disposal of litter imposes a great financial burden on the 17
citizens of North Carolina. 18
(4) A more concerted effort to reduce litter is needed in North Carolina. 19
(5) Beverage containers should be reused or recycled. 20
(6) Other states' experience shows that beverage container deposit legislation is 21
successful in reducing litter and increasing recycling of discarded beverage 22
containers. 23
(7) Beverage container deposit legislation is consistent with the State's policy, set 24
forth in G.S. 130A-309.04, to promote methods of solid waste management 25
that are alternatives to disposal in landfills. 26
(8) The program under this Part will contribute significantly to the reduction of 27
the beverage container component of the litter in this State. 28
(b) It is the intent of the General Assembly to address the blight that litter imposes on the 29
highways and lands of this State, while creating incentives for manufacturers, distributors, 30
retailers, and consumers of beverages in beverage containers to recycle and reuse beverage 31
containers. 32
"§ 130A-309.246. Definitions. 33

General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
Page 2 House Bill 344-First Edition
Unless a different meaning is required by the context, the following definitions apply 1
throughout this Part: 2
(1) Beverage. – Any ready-to-drink liquid intended for human oral consumption. 3
Beverage includes any malt beverage; spirituous liquor; fortified wine; 4
unfortified wine; wine cooler; soda or noncarbonated water; and any 5
nonalcoholic carbonated or noncarbonated drink in liquid form. The term does 6
not include any drug regulated under the federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic 7
Act (Title 21 U.S.C. § 301 et seq.; 52 Stat. 1040 et seq.), infant formula, meal 8
replacement liquids, or dairy products derived from animal milk. 9
(2) Beverage container. – A prepackaged container designed to hold a beverage 10
that is made of any material, including glass, plastic, and metal. Beverage 11
container does not include cartons, pouches, or aseptic packaging such as a 12
drink box. 13
(3) Consumer. – An individual who purchases a beverage in a beverage container 14
for his or her use or consumption with no intent to resell the beverage. 15
Consumer includes a lodging, eating, or drinking establishment. 16
(4) Contracted agent. – A public or private company or individual who enters into 17
an agreement with a distributor or deposit initiator to pick up empty beverage 18
containers from redemption centers and dealers. 19
(5) Curbside recycling program. – A recycling program that meets all of the 20
following criteria: 21
a. The program picks up recyclables from individual residences. 22
b. The program is operated by, or pursuant to a contract with, a city, 23
county, or other public agency. 24
c. The program accepts empty beverage containers from consumers with 25
the intent to recycle them. 26
(6) Curbside recycling program entity. – A material recovery facility or any other 27
person or establishment contracted to receive beverage containers collected 28
through a curbside recycling program for the purposes of processing, sorting, 29
or preparation for recycling. 30
(7) Dealer. – A person who sells beverages in beverage containers, including 31
beverage containers sold through vending machines, to a consumer at the 32
retail level. Dealer does not include any of the following: 33
a. Establishments who sell less than 250,000 beverage containers in a 34
calendar year. 35
b. Establishments that provide on-premises consumption of beverages in 36
beverage containers, such as hotels, restaurants, or bars. 37
(8) Deposit initiator. – T