Come to the Bottle Bill Hearing on Beacon Hill
Come to Beacon Hill for an important public hearing on the updated Bottle Bill, which would more than double the recycling rate for non-redeemable containers and would give consumers more of an incentive to recycle those containers.
WHAT: Public Hearing on Bottle Bill
WHEN: Wednesday, Oct 7, 10:00 am
WHERE: State House, Room 1A
(MASSPIRG will also be holding a press conference at 9:15 am, inside the Bowdoin Street entrance of the State House.)
The bottle bill is still the most successful recycling program in the state, with close to 70% of containers redeemed for recycling. Since 1990, more than 15 billion containers have been redeemed under the Massachusetts bottle bill, contributing to a healthier environment, cleaner and safer communities, and a stronger economy.
But when the Bottle Bill became law in 1983, most soft drinks on the shelves were some kind of soda -- cola and the like. So many of the soft drinks we now consume -- iced tea, water, and sports drinks -- are not covered by the Bottle Bill's nickel deposit system, and those containers are ending up in the trash. The update to the Bottle Bill currently pending in the Legislature would add all these "new age" drinks to the law.
Rep. Alice Wolf and Sen. Cynthia Creem have filed legislation for the 2009-2010 legislative session to update our current Bottle Bill (HB 3515). This legislation would expand the recycling program to include the following beverages:
Carbonated and noncarbonated water, including flavored and non-flavored filtered water, mineral water and purified waters
Carbonated and noncarbonated fruit juices and drinks
Ready-to-drink coffee and tea beverages
Sports drinks
The Updated Bottle Bill would more than double the recycling rate for non-redeemable containers and would give consumers more of an incentive to recycle those containers. And it would also increase the handling fee from 2.25 cents per container to 3 cents, making the system more practical for the redemption centers.
Do you know where your elected officials stand on this important issue?
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