Recycling in Texas Is Broken. A Bottle Bill Can Help Fix It.
Texas has long been a leader in energy and innovation. But when it comes to recycling, the Lone Star State is falling behind. Texans bought 23.7 billion beverage containers in 2021, according to a recent Texas A&M Mosbacher Institute paper. Yet nearly 80 percent ended up in landfills or littered across highways, parks, and waterways. That’s not just bad for the environment—it’s costing Texas businesses millions in lost resources.
As Executive Director of NAPCOR, the trade association for the North American PET (polyethylene terephthalate, easily indicated by the “1” inside the triangle) plastic packaging industry, I’ve heard directly from businesses, including more than 30 PET recycling and manufacturing facilities in Texas, that struggle to secure enough recycled plastic locally. Instead, they’re forced to import costly recycled materials from overseas, driving up costs and exposing supply chains to growing trade risks.
Fortunately, Texas has an opportunity to fix this, and it’s sitting before the state legislature right now.
A new bill in the Texas legislature (HB 2048/SB 728) would introduce a deposit return system (DRS), commonly known as a “bottle bill” or recycling refund program. Here’s how it works: when consumers buy bottled beverages, they pay a small, refundable deposit. Once they return the empty container to a redemption center, they get their deposit back. It’s a simple, market-driven system that turns waste into valuable recycled material.
Bottle bills deliver measurable results. Oregon’s DRS boosted its plastic recycling rates above 80 percent. Globally, countries like Germany, Norway, and Sweden with DRS have recycling rates surpassing 90 percent. If Texas achieves similar results, it could recapture much of the $372 million of recyclable materials currently wasted annually, fueling local jobs and economic growth.
This legislation is tailored to Texas’s free-market values. Beverage producers—not the government—would operate the system. That means no bloated bureaucracy, no taxpayer burden. Just a smart, industry-led solution to a problem that has long plagued Texas. Producers have a strong incentive to meet recycling targets because failing to reach a 75 percent recycling rate by 2035 could trigger financial penalties.
Beyond economic benefits, adopting a DRS would reduce litter, protecting Texas’s natural beauty and supporting tourism-dependent local economies. Studies show that states with deposit systems experience less litter, cleaner parks and waterways, and fewer bottles and cans cluttering highways.
Laura Stewart, NAPCOR Executive Director
Texans deserve better than the current broken recycling system. This bill offers an economically smart, environmentally responsible solution that reduces waste, creates jobs, and lessens reliance on costly foreign imports.
There’s a choice before Texas lawmakers: Do nothing and watch recycling rates continue to stagnate while businesses pay a premium for imported materials. Or pass the bottle bill and transform Texas’s broken recycling system into one that creates jobs, reduces waste, and strengthens the economy.
Texans have always found practical ways to solve tough problems. It’s time to do the same for recycling and pass legislation that works for Texas businesses, communities, and the environment.
Laura Stewart is Executive Director of NAPCOR, the trade association for the PET plastic packaging industry in North America.