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Solid Waste:
Bigger Better Bottle Bill
Our Position: support
Bill Number: A2517-D/S1290-D
Sponsor: Assembly Member DiNapoli (MS)/Senator LaValle
Legislative Session: 2006
The Bigger Better Bottle Bill would expand our bottle deposit to non-carbonated beverages, such as sports drinks and bottled water. The bill would also ensure that unclaimed deposits go back to the State, not the bottling industry.
Status
05/10/06 - passed Assembly, referred to Senate Environmental Conservation Committee
Action Needed
Please call or write your State Senator in support of this bill. To find out your State Senator and his/her contact info, click here.
More information
NYPIRG's website is a great Bottle Bill resource.
Contact
Legislative Office, 518-426-9144. Or, contact John Stouffer, Legislative Director, john.stouffer@sierraclub.org
Background
Memorandum of Support
In Assembly A.2517 by Assemblyman DiNapoli
In Senate A.2517 by Senator LaValle
Title: An Act to amend the environmental conservation law and the state finance law, in relation to returnable beverage containers; and to repeal sections 27-1005, 27-1007 and subdivision 2 of section 27-1011 of the environmental conservation law.
Provisions:A.3992-B/S.1696-B would expand New York’s container deposit law to non-carbonated drinks other than milk and liquor. The bill would also direct unclaimed deposits into the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF).
Statement of Support:
New York’s container deposit law has proven to be one of the most effective recycling programs, capturing 76% of the containers that are subject to deposit. Curbside recycling programs generally capture a lower percentage of eligible materials. The deposit system creates a financial incentive for people to return bottles and cans. In those instances where the $.05 deposit does not motivate a particular person to return the container, it serves as a bounty for other people who do so.
Since New York’s bottle bill passed in the early ‘80s the beverage market has changed substantially. Since that time, juice, iced tea and bottled water containers have come to constitute a much larger percentage of the beverage related waste stream. These beverage containers now litter our road-sides, beaches and parks. These containers also are typically made from lower value materials that are hard for municipal recycling programs to market. Expansion of the container deposit law would help to keep these bottles and cans from being discarded as litter and would take them out of the municipal recycling stream, keeping our lands clean and saving municipalities money. Unclaimed deposits are estimated to total approximately $170 million annually. Reclaiming these deposits and directing resulting revenue to the Environmental Protection Fund would produce significant new support for municipal recycling programs and the other worthy programs supported by the EPF. The Sierra Club strongly supports this bill.
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