Connecticut
Now worth a dime, bottles and cans pile up at Connecticut redemption centers
WATERTOWN — The line outside Fran’s Cans and Bart’s Bottles had already grown to roughly a dozen customers by the time doors to the business opened at 10 a.m. Friday, each waiting patiently with garbage bags filled to the brim with an assortment of water bottles, juice containers, and the ubiquitous beer and soda cans.
Inside the warehouse, the morning rush produced a flurry of activity as workers began counting and sorting the haul — more than 11,000 bottles and cans in just the first half hour of business.
“It’s been like this all week,” said owner Francis Bartolomeo, before rattling off sums that he said were double his winter average. “Tuesday was 55,000, Wednesday 44,000, (Thursday) was 38,000.”
Beginning on Jan. 1, the reward for turning in eligible bottles and cans doubled from 5 cents to 10 cents, as part of the final phase of a three-year overhaul of the state’s “Bottle Bill.”
The revisions, which were the result of legislation passed in 2021, are part of an effort to bolster Connecticut’s stagnant rate of returns on eligible bottles and cans, while also updating the decades-old program to include more modern products like kombucha, iced teas, sports drinks and certain hard seltzers.
To do so, lawmakers crafted a series of amendments to the Byzantine system for collecting deposits from wholesalers, paying retailers and redemption centers to collect the empties and finally returning unclaimed deposits — or escheats — to the wholesalers and the state’s general fund. The process proved so complicated that lawmakers twice had to come back to agree on fixes to the law, while an entire website was created to help residents understand the changes.
For many, however, the payoff came this month in the form of the one-time chance to profit off of bottles and cans that had been purchased last year with the lower, 5-cent deposit.
“I figure we’re paying for the bottles, they might as well give us some type of tip,” said Joann Mattocks of Waterbury, as she dropped off a bag filled with some 500 bottles that had piled up at her home for the last several months, in anticipation of the switch.
For that many bottles, the value of waiting was worth as much as $25. Mattocks said she has several more similar-sized bags stored at home, but that she can only carry one or two at a time.
At the Central Connecticut Redemption Center in New Britain, owner Shahil Kantesaria said there appeared to be “quite a bit of hoarding” by customers during the final months of 2023. The resulting tide of post-New Year’s returns, he said, brought his business between 200,000 to 300,000 containers in just a few days — two to three times his weekly average.
“We’ll see if this holds,” said Kantesaria. “We’re wondering if this is the new normal.”
In order to prepare for the switch, lawmakers increased the handling fee for businesses to accept returns, while the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection invested $1.6 million in improvements at redemption centers to help meet the expected demand.
The result, according to Bartolomeo and Kantesaria, has been a relatively smooth — albeit busy — transition to the new 10-cent return. For grocers and retailers, which represent the other segment of the collection network, the atmosphere at the start of the New Year has been “busy, but not overrun,” said Wayne Pesce, the president of the Connecticut Food Association, and trade association.
Most larger retail chains in Connecticut — such as Wal-Mart and Stop & Shop — are now required to have at least two reverse vending machines for customers to return empty containers sold at their stores. Those businesses were also allowed to begin limiting returns to no more than 240 bottles and cans at a time starting on Jan. 1, which Pesce said he has advised most stores to do.
“This isn’t what they want to do for a living, they’re not in the recycling business,” Pesce said.
Kantesaria, who has been in the business for 21 years, said the sudden influx in returns this week was still not enough to top the piles of cans that redemption centers handled during the pandemic — a boom period for returns that he attributed to increased consumption driven by stimulus checks.
Connecticut is now one of three states, along with Michigan and Oregon, that offers a 10-cent redemption value for bottles and cans. The seven other states that have passed bottle bills each offer a 5-cent return. (Some states offer higher returns on larger-sized liquor and wine bottles, which are not covered under Connecticut’s Bottle Bill).
Still, Bartolomeo said that he does not anticipate many customers driving in from other states such as New York and Massachusetts to take advantage of the additional windfall.
“If you came down with a box truck, maybe,” it would be worth the trip, he said. “It’s too far of a drive.”
Over time, Bartolomeo said the biggest beneficiaries of the increased deposit will be individual “pickers” and charitable groups that collect the containers that others have paid the deposit on, turning them in for a profit.
One such group, the Morris Cares food bank, collects several thousand bottles and cans a month, cashing them in for funds to purchase bread, canned food and other staples to distribute to those in need, said Vincent Aiello, a volunteer for the group.
“It helps us quite a bit … it doubles our money really,” Aiello said of the recent change.
On Friday morning, Aiello arrived at Fran’s Cans and Bart’s Bottles with several bags filled with 600 bottles, enough for a $60 redemption. As he left, Aiello arranged to come by later and drop off another batch of 1,500 containers over the weekend.
A pile of such size would be no problem, Bartolomeo said. He was already expecting a local Boy Scout troop to come by with an even bigger haul — 30,000 bottles and cans — that they had been collecting and saving up for months.
When a house has been loved for generations, its walls tend to hold stories. In the case of one family residence in Darien, Connecticut, that sentiment was taken quite literally. On the casement between the living room and kitchen are ticks that denote decades of growth, a quiet record of childhoods unfolding in real time. Several of those measurements belong to the home’s newest steward—the original owners’ daughter—who was ready to put her own mark on the property.
Eager to see what she could make of the 1930s structure, she and her husband tapped British-born designer Becca Casey of Connecticut-based Becca Interiors to breathe new life—and old soul—into the interior. For Casey, being entrusted with that kind of emotional patina was a privilege she didn’t take lightly. “The greatest challenge was ensuring that the new extension had synergy with the original house while bringing together the couple’s different tastes and honoring the home’s history,” Casey says of the 2,400-square-foot space.
That delicate balance shows up everywhere, from tailored silhouettes and clean lines for him to pattern and color for her. Nowhere is that nuance more evident than in the property’s oldest room, a long, beam-lined living space that once sat largely unused. Casey swathed it in an atmospheric mural, transforming it into a multi-zone haven centered on the fireplace, with moments of repose throughout where the family can gather to play a game or enjoy a book.
Around the home, Casey’s eye for nuance is unmistakable. She wields color, pattern, and shape with equal aplomb, expertly marrying form with function in a way that’s both timeless and fresh. A hidden television disappears behind drapery-lined cabinetry, the inner skeleton of an armchair is displayed like a work of art, a vintage dining table reveals a plaque from the husband’s hometown (a serendipitous discovery that made the piece instantly meaningful). In the end, reviving the dwelling wasn’t about reinvention for Casey—it was about the possibility that a new chapter can bring. The result is a space that, according to Casey, feels “quietly refined and effortlessly lived-in”—an elegant meeting point between memory and modern family life.
FAST FACTS:
Designer: Becca Casey, Becca Interiors
Location: Darien, Connecticut
The Space: A 1930s colonial with six bedrooms, across 2,400 square feet.
LIVING ROOM
Bare windows and a transportive wallpaper nod to the pastoral landscape.
The living room is the oldest space in the house, so Casey wanted to honor its bones while streamlining the layout for modern functionality. Custom Dmitriy & Co. sofas—linen on the top, patterned French mattress tufting at the base—typify the union between “his” and “her” tastes.
Sconce: Woven Shop. Lamp: Visual Comfort & Co. Chair: custom.
Table: custom, Becca Interiors. Chairs: Pottery Barn.
A traditional English roll armchair was tucked into a corner at the request of the husband, whose wish list included a spot to read. Aiming for a “layered floor plan,” with distinct areas for the family’s many needs, Casey added a game table as a visual anchor with a direct sight line to the main entryway of the home.
DEN
An original stone fireplace anchors the family-ready space.
Pendant: Woka. Coffee table: LF Collection. Sconce: Hector Finch.
Coffee table: LF Collection. Rug: Woodard Weave. Chik blinds: Joss Graham.
Drenched in French Gray paint by Farrow & Ball and grounded by the original stone fireplace, the den is carefully choreographed to support togetherness, with a custom sectional and hidden TV.
DINING ROOM
The sun-drenched space looks out to the backyard pond.
Paint: School House White, Farrow & Ball. Chairs: Maison Louis Drucker. Table: antique. Tablecloths: Zara Home, Cabana Home. Pedants: Lightology.
Part of the new addition, the serene dining room is flooded with light, thanks to expansive floor to (almost) ceiling windows. Layered textiles keep the antique table—a happy find, originally made in the husband’s hometown—geared toward casual meals.
PRIMARY BEDROOM
Salvaged beams mimic the look of the originals in the living room.
Paint: Shaded White, Farrow & Ball. Rug: Lulu and Georgia. Bedding: The Company Store. Dresser: English Farmhouse Furniture.
Inspired by Belgian interiors, the elevated placement of the fireplace isn’t just a design flex—it’s an experiential choice that puts the flames right at eye level when lounging in bed. Beside it, two vintage English armchairs stun with their exposed interior, a Becca Interiors signature touch.
PRIMARY BATH
Natural materials were chosen for their ability to patina over time.
Mirror: Rejuvenation. Floor tile: Arto. Wall paint: Slipper Statin, Farrow & Ball. Sconces: O’lampia.
In the primary bathroom, wellness comes through atmosphere rather than gadgets. A Drummonds soaking tub is positioned for prime pond views, with a gray-green base (Drop Cloth, Farrow & Ball) that reinforces the room’s soothing palette.
WORKSTATION
Smart features make family management a cinch.
Roman shade: Hunter Douglas. Desk paint: Studio Green, Farrow & Ball. Chair: Soho Home. Rug: Merribrook Collection. Flushmount: RW Guild.
To make the most of a hall nook, Casey crafted a compact desk where the wife, a teacher, can grade papers. Labeled drawers store art supplies, while a floor-to-ceiling cabinet (at side) acts as a hub for deliveries.
About the Designer
Becca Casey is the Principal Director and founder of Becca Interiors. Raised in the countryside of Southwest England, her earliest influences were rooted in history, nature, and the quiet beauty of rural life. These foundations continue to shape her design philosophy today, one that blends heritage with modern sensibility while honoring craftsmanship and the beauty of daily life at home.
The Hartford community is grappling with two police shootings that happened within eight days of each other. Both started off as mental health calls about someone in distress.
People came together to remember one of the men killed at a vigil on Wednesday evening.
With hands joined, a prayer for peace and comfort was spoken for the family of Everard Walker. He was having a mental health crisis when a family member called 211 on Feb.19.
Two mental health professionals from the state-operated Capitol Regional Mental Health Center requested Hartford police come with them to Walker’s apartment on Capitol Avenue.
A scuffle ensued, and police said it looked like Walker was going to stab an officer. The brief fight ended with an officer shooting and killing Walker.
The family is planning to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the city.
“All I will have now is a tombstone and the voicemails he left on my phone that I listen over and over again at night just so I can fall asleep,” Menan Walker, one of Walker’s daughters, said.
City councilman Josh Michtom (WF) is asking whether police could have acted differently.
“To me, the really concerning thing is why the police were there at all, why they went into that apartment in the way that they did, in the numbers that they did,” he said.
The president of Hartford’s police union, James Rutkauski, asked the community to hold their judgment and wait for a full investigation by the Inspector General’s office to be completed.
A different tone was taken in a statement released about another police shooting on Blue Hills Avenue on Feb. 27.
Rutkauski said the union fully supports the officer who fired at 55-year-old Steven Jones, who was holding a knife during a mental health crisis.
In part, the union’s statement says that Jones “deliberately advanced on the officer in a manner that created an immediate threat of death or serious bodily injury. This was a 100% justified use of deadly force.”
The Inspector General’s office will determine if the officer was justified following an investigation.
The officer who shot Jones was the fourth to arrive on the scene. Three others tried to get him to drop the knife, even using a taser, before the shooting.
“It just feels like beyond the conduct of any one officer, we have this problem, which is that we send cops for every problem,” Michtom said. “I don’t know how you can de-escalate at the point of a gun.”
Jones died from his injuries on Tuesday.
The union’s statement went on to say that officers should not be society’s default for mental health professionals. The statement said in part, “We ask for renewed commitment from our legislators to remove police from being the vanguard of what should be a mental health professional response.”
The officers involved in both shootings are on administrative leave.
Marked by a ceremonial ribbon cutting and attended by Governor Ned Lamont, state legislators, Waterbury officials, and community leaders, UConn Health celebrated the acquisition of Waterbury Hospital which as of today is now the UConn Health Waterbury Hospital.
“This is a defining moment for healthcare in Connecticut,” said Dr. Andrew Agwunobi, CEO of UConn Health Community Network. “We now have the opportunity to take the award -winning academic quality and service of UConn Health and share it with the wonderful employees, doctors and community of Waterbury.”
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont described the initiative as a forward-looking investment in the future of healthcare access across Connecticut.
“Connecticut is leading with innovation,” said Connecticut Governor Lamont. “The UConn Health Community Network reflects a proactive approach to strengthening community-based care by connecting it directly to the capabilities of our state’s public academic medical center. What begins in Waterbury today, represents a new model designed to expand opportunity, access, and excellence for communities statewide.”
In addition to UConn Health Waterbury Hospital, the Network includes UConn Health Community Network Medical Group and UConn Health Waterbury Health at Home. The model preserves each member’s local identity and will grow thoughtfully over time to improve quality, expand access, and reduce the total cost of care.
“This reflects a bold step forward in how we think about healthcare in Connecticut,” said John Driscoll, Chair of the UConn Health Board of Directors. “Today we celebrate the beginning of a new approach to community-based care. We move forward with clarity of purpose and shared commitment to serve our communities better together.”
Comptroller Sean Scanlon highlighted the significance of the model for the long-term evolution of healthcare delivery in Connecticut.
“This partnership represents thoughtful leadership at a pivotal time for healthcare,” said Connecticut Comptroller Sean Scanlon. “By aligning community hospitals with academic medicine, Connecticut is building a modern framework that positions our healthcare system to meet the needs of patients today and into the future.”
“Hosting this celebration on our campus is deeply meaningful for our staff, physicians and the families we serve,” said Deborah Weymouth, President of UConn Health Waterbury Hospital. “Waterbury’s legacy of care continues, and we are tremendously proud to have a strong partner who is deeply committed to our community and help lead this next chapter for healthcare.”
Welcome UConn Health Waterbury Hospital!
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