A bigger, better bottle bill for New York? - Municipal Recycling

Recycling Today, Feb, 2003

The Bigger, Better Bottle Bill Coalition (BBBBC) believes changes to New York's current bottle bill would make the law more effective.

The changes proposed by the BBBBC include expanding the law to include non-carbonated beverage containers, such as bottled water, teas and juices; increasing deposits from 5 cents to 10 cents; and allocating unredeemed deposits to an Environmental Protection Fund to support recycling and waste prevention efforts state-wide.

Laura Haight, senior environmental associate of the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) and BBBBC coordinator, says the coalition hopes to build on the success of the current bottle bill by expanding its reach to other non-carbonated beverages. However, Haight says the expanded bill will not include wine and liquor containers because that would involve infrastructure changes, as these beverages are sold only in liquor stores, not in the grocery stores that are affected by the current bottle bill.

"We're arguing that the systems are in place," she says of this decision. "We're expanding on what we already have."

Haight says that since the bottle bill was implemented on July 1, 1983, the average redemption rate has been 75 percent, with a peek of 80 percent in '84/ '85. The current rate of 69 percent marks the lowest recovery rate since the bottle bill's implementation.

"We're waiting with keen interest to see if Gov. George Pataki will include the [unredeemed deposit] revenue in the January 29 budget," Haight says. She adds that if the state were to implement the three proposed changes, the unredeemed deposits would total roughly $167 million a year.

"When you look at the crisis in local cities, there's real logic in trying to find more money to bolster programs," Haight says.

The BBBC is made up of more than 100 environment, labor, government and business groups, including the American Littoral Society, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the New York State Association of Reduction, Reuse and Recycling. Those seeking additional information on the bottle bill effort can contact Haight at lhaight@nypirg.org.