Dive Brief:

• Massachusetts voters rejected Question 2 on Tuesday night. The ballot initiative would have expanded the state’s bottle deposit program to include water bottles, sports drinks, and non-carbonated beverage containers.  
• 72% of voters were opposed to the bottle ballot measure, while 28% voted in support of the expansion.
• In June, a committee of legislators were not able to reach a compromise regarding the bottle bill, so they deferred to a popular referendum. October saw the battle over the deposit bill escalate, as the opposition unleashed a campaign that prompted outrage from supporters who claimed the information presented was inaccurate. 

Dive Insight:

Massachusetts bottle law currently encompasses soda and beer bottles. Consumers return the bottles at a designated recycling center and are reimbursed $0.05 cents per bottle.

One interesting note about the failed deposit expansion bill: the state would have been required to adjust the deposit every five years based on the consumer price index.