Amendment #283 to H4600

Establishing a Miniature Alcohol Bottle Deposit

Mr. Howitt of Seekonk moves to amend the bill by adding the following:

“SECTION XX. Section 321 of chapter 94 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out the definitions of “Beverage” and “Beverage container” and inserting in place thereof the following 2 definitions:-

“Beverage”, soda water or similar carbonated soft drinks, mineral water, alcoholic beverages sold in a miniature and beer and other malt beverages, but shall not include alcoholic beverages other than beer and malt beverages as defined in chapter 138 and alcoholic beverages sold in a miniature, dairy products, natural fruit juices or wine.

“Beverage container”, any sealable bottle, can, jar, or carton which is primarily composed of glass, metal, plastic or any combination of those materials and is produced for the purpose of containing a beverage, including a miniature. This definition shall not include containers made of biodegradable material.

SECTION XX. Said section 321 of said chapter 94 is hereby further amended by inserting after the definition of “Label” the following definition:-

“Miniature”, any sealable bottle, can, jar, or carton which is primarily composed of glass, metal, plastic, or any combination of those materials that has a capacity of not more than 100 milliliters and is produced for the purpose of containing an alcoholic beverage.

SECTION XXX. Section 322 of said chapter 94 is hereby amended by striking the section in its entirety and inserting in place thereof the following:-

Every beverage container, except a miniature, sold or offered for sale in the commonwealth shall have a refund value of not less than five cents. The provisions of this section shall not apply to such containers sold by a distributor for use by a common carrier in the conduct of interstate passenger service. Every miniature sold or offered for sale in the commonwealth shall have a refund value of not less than twenty-five cents. The provisions of this section shall not apply to such containers sold by a distributor for use by a common carrier in the conduct of interstate passenger service.”

Additional co-sponsor(s) added to Amendment #283 to H4600

Establishing a Miniature Alcohol Bottle Deposit