Dive Brief:
- The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management is seeking comments on its draft needs assessment, a strategy recommending a range of options for improving waste diversion in the state. Public comments on the assessment are open until Nov. 16.
- RRS, which prepared the report, says the data and estimates could be used to craft future bottle bills, EPR programs or other diversion plans. A final version of the assessment is expected to go to state lawmakers by Dec. 1, 2026.
- RRS recommends a range of scenarios that build on the state’s current 13% diversion rate, noting that of the estimated 673,869 tons disposed of each year, the state is missing out on about $35.5 million gross in lost commodity value.
Dive Insight:
In 2025, state lawmakers proposed a bill that would have established a 10-cent deposit on certain beverage containers, created a packaging EPR system, set certain recycling and return targets and accomplish other goals.
But a major last-minute overhaul removed most mentions of a bottle bill or EPR proposal, instead calling for a needs assessment.
The change was partly driven by fierce competition between environmental groups and the beverage industry. Environmental groups pitched the combo bottle bill/EPR system as a way to raise recycling rates and reduce strain on local landfills. Meanwhile, a coalition led by the American Beverage Association said the bill would create new costs for small businesses and raise costs for consumers.
The final study bill, seen as a compromise, called for Rhode Island DEM and the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corp. to work with an independent third party on the report.
During a recent webinar, RRS co-CEO Resa Dimino said the resulting report is meant to offer a wide scope of options that center on how the state can manage paper and plastic packaging that makes up about 45% of Rhode Island’s waste stream.
The assessment offers five proposed options that range in detail and scope. An “as-is” plan assumes the state takes no action, maintaining a 13% baseline target material diversion rate with no changes or new programs. The state is working toward a 35% recycling rate and 50% diversion rate. The Central Landfill, operated by RIRRC, has about 20 years of remaining capacity.
Dimino said this “as-is” plan is “unlikely to move dramatically towards the state's diversion targets,” in part because of “fairly low” recovery rates and notable contamination issues.
A second option, based on the original legislation proposed in 2025, offers details on what a combo EPR and deposit return system could look like. RRS estimates that option could achieve a 33% diversion rate if fully funded by producers.
RRS also sketched out possible plans if the state decided to either pursue an EPR for packaging program, which could achieve a 29% diversion rate, or establish a bottle bill instead, which could achieve an estimated 20% diversion rate.
A final “EPR Plus” plan offers additional ideas like reuse programs and additional ways to target single use plastics, is also part of the assessment. This plan is modeled on parts of plans implemented in Oregon and California, and could yield around a 47% diversion rate.
Each of these plans comes with a range of costs. The as-is plan has a net cost of about $13.2 million, while a deposit return-only plan could cost about $22 million. The EPR Plus plan could be up to $77 million, according to the assessment. However, RRS notes that any of the plans with an EPR component assumes producers will pay those costs, including for curbside services, which could save municipalities about $200 a ton.
This story first appeared in the Waste Dive: Recycling newsletter. Sign up for the weekly emails here.
