The Elkins Intermountain ran an editorial on April 4 blasting the WV Bottle Bill.  The editorial is obviously borrowed from another state newspaper as it mentions the problems with being a border county and with people driving to Ohio to avoid the deposit, neither of which would apply in Randolph County.  Please consider posting a comment to their website (see link below) or writing a letter to the editor - thanks!

http://www.theintermountain.com:80/page/content.detail/id/517339.html?nav=5009

New York State expands its Bottle Bill to include water bottles after 9 year campaign

April 3, 2009                                                                          

GROUPS CHEER PASSAGE OF BIGGER BETTER BOTTLE BILL
Update of State’s Bottle Recycling Law Hailed as Major Environmental Victory

(Albany, NY)  Groups from across the state applauded passage of the Bigger Better Bottle Bill today as part of the 2009-10 state budget.  This momentous achievement is the first major overhaul of the state’s bottle deposit law since it was created in 1982, and caps a grueling nine-year campaign to expand and update the law.  The update expands New York’s bottle return law to include water bottles, which comprise nearly a quarter of all beverages sold in New York.  The law also requires beverage companies to return 80% of the unclaimed bottle and can deposits to the state, generating upwards of $115 million annually for the General Fund.

 “This is a huge victory not only for the environment, but for the people of New York,” said Laura Haight, senior environmental associate with NYPIRG.  “As a result of this law, we will have noticeably cleaner communities and far more recycling.  At the same time, the money from the public’s unclaimed nickels will go to work for us, not for Coke and Pepsi.”

 The groups praised Governor David Paterson for his leadership, fulfilling a promise he made to environmental groups at Earth Day Lobby Day last year; Speaker Sheldon Silver, Assemblyman Bob Sweeney and members of the Assembly for their steadfast support, having passed the bill every year since 2005; and Majority Leader Malcolm Smith, Senator Antoine Thompson and members of the Senate majority, without whose commitment the budget agreement would not have happened.  The groups also acknowledged the efforts of former Assemblyman Thomas DiNapoli and Senator Kenneth LaValle, who introduced previous versions of the bill, and noted bipartisan support for the expansion that is not reflected in today’s budget vote.

 “Since the bottle bill was enacted nearly 30 years ago, the beverage industry has grown to include water drinks that have proliferated not simply on store shelves, but along the sides of our roads, wetlands, open spaces, and beaches,” said Bob Sweeney (D-Lindenhurst), Chair of the Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee. “This budget will encourage recycling and help to clean our environment by updating New York’s most successful recycling law to better represent today’s consumers."

 “The Bigger Better Bottle Bill is an issue close to my heart for good reason,” said Senator Antoine Thompson (D-parts of Erie & Niagara Counties), Chair of the Senate's Environmental Conservation Committee.  “The recycling of water bottles will significantly reduce litter throughout our communities and its accumulation in landfills.  We are committed to creating green jobs for New Yorkers across the state that will both protect the environment and revitalize our economy; and passage of this legislation will bring us a step closer to that realization.”

 HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NEW LAW

The expansion, which goes into effect on June 1st, will require a deposit on all water bottles sold in New York.   According to the Container Recycling Institute, more than 3.2 billion water bottles were sold in New York State alone – nearly a quarter of the state’s total beverage sales.  Bottled water represents 70% of the total noncarbonated beverage sales in New York which previous versions of the bill sought to capture.  Water bottles are one of the most common items found in litter cleanups in New York.   Without a deposit, most of these containers end up in the trash or polluting our communities.  Oregon and Connecticut have also recently expanded their deposit laws to include bottled water.

The law requires beverage companies to return 80% of the unclaimed deposits to the state General Fund, raising an estimated $115 million next year.   Since 1982, beer and soda companies have retained more than $2 billion in unclaimed deposits.  This legislation brings New York into line with other states, such as Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, Hawaii, and most recently Connecticut, which already escheat unclaimed beverage container deposits.

The law also includes a number of measures that will improve opportunities for New Yorkers to return their empty bottles and cans, including incentives for small business and nonprofit redemption centers and requirements for large stores to maintain dedicated areas for bottle and can returns.  These provisions, plus the expansion and an increased handling fee, will lead to the creation of thousands of new jobs across the state.