House Bill 978 Summary

• Establishes a 10-cent deposit refund system for beverage containers (50 milliliters to 3 liters) sold in North Carolina, adjustable every five years based on return rates and inflation.

• Requires all beverage containers to be labeled with "North Carolina" or "N.C." and refund value, and include a UPC barcode for participation in the refund program.

• Mandates retailers accept empty beverage containers from consumers during business hours and pay refund values; requires distributors to pick up empty containers from dealers and redemption centers.

• Establishes performance standards requiring 80% redemption rate by July 1, 2026, increasing to 95% by July 1, 2030; requires 10-20% of containers to be reused/refilled by July 1, 2028-2030.

• Creates a Beverage Container Litter Reduction Account funded by unredeemed deposits to support program administration and grants for litter abatement, recycling education, and redemption center establishment in underserved communities.