7 Things New Yorkers Can and Can’t Return Under the Bottle Bill
Bring an empty wine bottle back to a New York store, and you won’t get a nickel for it.
That bag of empties by your back door probably holds a few more surprises like that.
Here’s what you can and can’t return under the Bottle Bill, so your next trip pays off.
Note: This is general information, not legal advice. Container rules, deposit amounts and covered drinks are subject to change, so confirm the current details with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.
1. Sugar-Free Flavored Water
The Bottle Bill covers flavored water, but only the sugar-free kind.
Find the Nutrition Facts label on your bottle and check the line for sugars.
If it reads 0 grams, you get the deposit back.
Non-carbonated flavored water with sugar gets nothing.
Lawmakers brought bottled water into the program in 2009.
2. Wine Bottles
Wine and liquor are outside the Bottle Bill.
Your empty bottle of wine, whiskey or vodka earns you nothing.
Hard cider is on the not-covered list, too.
Wine coolers, though, carry a deposit.
3. Mineral Water
Mineral water is covered by the Bottle Bill, carbonated or not, as long as the container holds less than one gallon.
Non-carbonated tea, by contrast, isn’t covered.
Sparkling water and soda water are covered, too, so your bottles and cans of either earn refunds.
4. Juice and Sports Drinks
Juice, sports drinks and energy drinks that aren’t carbonated fall outside the Bottle Bill.
Drinks in drink boxes or pouches are on the not-covered list, too.
Carbonated juice earns you a refund when it’s less than 100% juice, with added sugar or water.
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5. Out-of-State Cans
A weekend trip across the state line can leave you with cans the Bottle Bill won't pay for.
Containers must be bought in New York to earn the refund, and it's illegal to return a container you didn't pay a New York deposit on.
Stores and redemption centers can't knowingly redeem a container like that, either.
Leave them at home.
6. Empties From Another Store
Under the Bottle Bill, any store that sells the same brand, type, size and composition of container has to take yours back.
That holds no matter which New York store sold it.
State law has stores post a sign titled New York Bottle Bill of Rights at the point of sale.
You can return them to a redemption center, too, and you're entitled to cash without a receipt.
A store that doesn't sell your brand can turn it away.
7. Broken Bottles and Corroded Cans
Stores and redemption centers can turn away broken bottles and corroded cans under the Bottle Bill.
They can turn away a container that doesn't clearly show a refund value, so check yours before you go.
The same goes for a container with free-flowing liquid in it, or with a significant amount of foreign material such as paper, sticks or cigarette butts.
Small amounts of dust, dirt or moisture are allowed, and you don't have to rinse your empties.
Store Hours and Daily Caps
A store that isn't open 24 hours can refuse Bottle Bill returns during its first and last hour of business.
A 24-hour store has to take them at any time.
Stores can cap how many containers you return in a day, but not below 240 per person.
Small food and drink stores under 10,000 square feet can cap you at 72 containers per visit.
That works only if the store has a written agreement with a nearby redemption center and still takes up to 240 containers a day during a posted two-hour window.
A store that sets a cap has to post a sign saying so.
The sign has to tell you that you can arrange 48 hours ahead to redeem an unlimited number of containers.
Return Machines
A broken or full return machine doesn't excuse a store from the Bottle Bill, so the store still owes you the refund.
A store with at least 40,000 square feet and no return machines has to run a staffed redemption area during business hours.
It has to post a sign at each public entrance showing where that area is.
Those signs have to be at least 8 inches by 10 inches, with lettering at least a quarter inch high.
Bulk Returns
A store or redemption center writes down your name, address and vehicle license plate when you return more than 2,500 containers at one time under the Bottle Bill.
The business keeps that record for at least 12 months.
Refund Math
At the five-cent minimum, 24 cans pay $1.20, and a return of 2,500 containers pays $125.
A 3.5-cent handling fee per container, paid by the distributor or deposit initiator, goes to the store or redemption center, not to you.
10-Cent Proposal
The Bottle Bill still sets the refund value you collect at no less than five cents.
A bill in Albany that stalled in 2026 would raise that refund to 10 cents.
The same bill would add more drinks to the list.
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