The Bigger Bottle Bill is being discussed in the NY State Legislature during this month’s session. Even with the changing of the guard, The Budget is slated to be offered April 1st.
I would like to see the Bottle Bill modified to include non-carbonated beverages.
There are over 600 organizations lobbying the New York State Legislature to include the "Bigger Better Bottle Bill" in the budget. I think our voices in the Hudson Valley should join those organizations.
The original Bottle Bill of 1982, requires a five-cent refundable deposit on carbonated drinks sold in New York, which means consumers can return their empty bottles and cans to their local grocery store and receive five cents for each can.Over 90 billion bottles and cans have been recycled and returned as a result of the bill, according to http://www.nyprig.org/ . However, the time has come to make two modifications:
1. Require beverage distributors to transfer any unclaimed deposits to the State Environmental Protection Fund. (beverage companies do not return the estimated $140 million a year in unclaimed deposits)
2. Include water bottles (no one thirty years ago expected water to be a big seller)
About 3 billion non-carbonated beverage bottles and cans are thrown away every year because they do not have refundable deposits, and these drinks are projected to exceed soda sales by 2010 .Who would lobby against this Bill? All the major bottling companies like PepsiCo, Coca-Cola and Anheiser Busch. Why? Because the beverage companies are currently keeping the unclaimed deposits which could total between $85 million and $150 million a year.
If that wasn’t enough, Joe Bruno is preventing the State Senate from voting on this advanced bottle bill. Why? Because of the huge campaign donations from the same bottling companies. What has changed? The Governor!
Paterson is a strong supporter of the bigger bottle bill. While everyone is still swooning over his comforting demeanor, the ability to convince Bruno to bring the bill to the floor before the Budget is done will be quite the challenge. But we can help…
Contact our NY Senators and demand that it is offered on the floor and voted on by the end of March. www.senate.state.ny.us/senatehomepage.nsf/senators
5 comments:
There are so many people who continue to throw away nickle bottles and cans today. This wont change their idiotic actions at all.
Until people learn how important recycling is for the environment, we will continue seeing the HUMAN STAIN in society throw it all away.
Tipper
Hey, will we see that lady in the electric wheelchair on Broadway picking up more bottles?
Although this might help people who collect nickle deposit cans to survive, this electric chair issue needs to be adressed. Darting in & out of traffic on our city streets is a hazard.
Could be a future posting? What's the option for the lawbooks, Mike?
Why is the new leadership a plus on this issue? Was Spitzer for the bill or not? Was it the steamroller approach against Bruno?
How will Paterson be more effective in pushing this through?
If Bruno is getting contributions from the bottling companies, what will change his actions? Youre not going to see any real change with the bottle bill until that man is nutralized.
Hi, Mike -
I'm glad to find your site and this comment. I've been among the many clamoring for the BBBB, at:
http://www.pepactonnaturalfoods.com/Bigger%20Better%20Bottle%20Bill.htm
Glad also to hear that Paterson is a strong supporter. That's info that I hadn't found anywhere else.
There is some truth to the earlier comment that putting a deposit on other containers won't affect everyone's behavior. But redemption figures indicate it will affect that of many individuals, and it will give canners a reason to pick up containers they currently ignore. Personally, I'd like to see the deposit increase to .10, for the canners, to reduce consumption, and because IMO it's the fact that a nickel is worth a tiny fraction of what it was in 1982 that's responsible for the toss-it-out-the-window syndrome. It's as if (metaphorically anyway - I didn't run the actual inflation numbers) the 1982 law had specified at the time only a penny deposit - it just wouldn't have been enough then to get anyone's attention; in these days of $3.50/gallon gas the nickel gets a similar lack of respect. Gas has tripled in price; bottles at a .10 deposit would still be a bargain.
Just wanted to mention that your link to NYPIRG needs to be fixed.
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