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National Beverage Producer Responsibility Act of 2003

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

Official summary

Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Nov 14, 2003

National Beverage Producer Responsibility Act of 2003 - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to require beverage brand owners (manufacturers or importers of beverages sold in containers) to implement effective redemption, transportation, processing, marketing, and reporting systems for the reuse and recycling of their used beverage containers. Prohibits the sale of a beverage in a beverage container unless a clear refund value statement prominently appears on the container. Requires each brand owner to submit to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency a recycling management plan subject to the Administrator's approval and a fee to cover administrative costs. Requires sellers of beverages to collect from each purchaser at the time of sale a deposit no greater than a specified minimum refund value and pay the refund value upon container returns either in cash or in the form of a voucher. Establishes a redemption rate performance standard and penalties for failure to achieve such rate. Requires arbitration to settle disputes between a brand owner and a return site. Imposes penalties for violations of this Act.

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Who introduced it

Sen. Jeffords, James M. [I-VT] · I–VT

Committees

  • Environment and Public Works Committee
5 cosponsorship records, including any withdrawals

Actions

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  1. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works.

  2. Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S14816-14817)

  3. Introduced in Senate

Bill text & related measures

Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.

Related bills identified by Congress.gov

No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.

Source last updated: Sep 8, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.

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