New York considering bottle bill expansion

New York considering bottle bill expansion

By Editorial Staff, Resource Recycling

Lawmakers in New York are considering an expansion of the Empire State's "bigger better bottle bill" to make it bigger and better.

According to WYSR-TV [1], the legislation being considered would expand the state's container deposit law to include all flavored water, as well as iced teas, energy drinks, sports beverages and any juice drinks containing up to 70 percent juice. New York's original bottle bill, first implemented in 1983, covered beer, wine coolers and soda. In 2009, it was expanded to encompass water bottles.

The news station cites Laura Haight, senior environmental associate with the New York Public Interest Research Group, stating that the proposed expansion could increase the number of returnable bottles by 15 percent.

According to The Buffalo News [2], the expansion provision is contained in a budget in the New York State Assembly. The expansion, according to the paper, would generate $5 million annually for the state's Environmental Protection Fund.

On March 11, the state Assembly passed a budget that contained the expansion.

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