First bottle bill in the nation?

By Mike Rauck

In July 1970, three months after the first Earth Day celebration, the Bowie City Council passed an ordinance requiring all bottled beer and soda purchased in the city to be sold in returnable bottles. This was an attempt by city officials to address a growing litter problem in Bowie.

The city changed the ordinance in early 1971 to instead require refundable deposits on all beer and soda bottles and cans. The modified ordinance matched state legislation being considered in Annapolis at the time.

Bowie’s bottle bill was scheduled to go into effect on April 1, 1971, but area liquor dealers and soft drink bottlers challenged the city’s ordinance in court. The issue was finally settled in 1975 when the Maryland Court of Appeals ruled that municipalities like Bowie can implement and enforce legislation requiring consumers to pay refundable deposits on beverage containers.

The Bowie City Council chose to delay implementation of the bottle bill in 1975. The thinking at the time was that the bill would not be as effective unless the county or other nearby jurisdictions implemented similar legislation. Former Bowie Mayor Leo Green and some of his fellow councilmembers who passed the legislation were no longer on the council in 1975.

Although bottle bill legislation was considered multiple times by Maryland lawmakers, bottle and can deposits have never been required in Bowie.

Oregon passed bottle bill legislation in May 1971. The Oregon bill is frequently cited as the first bottle bill in the nation, but it was passed after the Bowie City Council passed similar legislation. Bowie’s ordinance, of course, was never implemented.

Former Bowie Mayor Leo Green is pictured here in November 1970 giving the thumbs-down sign in response to the 10,000 cans and 800 bottles collected by Bowie High School students along city roadways over a two-day period. The students were members of an ecology group organized at the high school by Don Murphy, a government teacher at the school.

Yesterday was the 50th anniversary of the first Earth Day, and the Bowie City Council has proclaimed 2020 to be Earth Year in Bowie.

To recognize the anniversary, check out the city's 100 Acts of Green and see what you can do to help the environment, your health, your neighbors, and to save a little money while at it. Many of the acts are perfect for social distancing because they involve actions in your own home or being outside away from crowded areas. Click here to see the city's 100 Acts of Green.