It’s time to update the bottle deposit bill. When the original five-cent deposit went into effect in 1983, today’s popular non-carbonated beverages—water, teas, sports drinks—hardly made a dent in the market. Now those beverages account for 1.5 billion containers a year in Massachusetts, containers that should have a deposit on them.
Deposits are extremely effective at reducing litter and encouraging recycling. About 80% of the containers with deposits are recycled—70% are redeemed and recycled and another 10% are recycled through other collection programs. Only 23% of containers without deposits are recycled; the rest end up as trash and litter. Check those statistics by comparing the number of soda bottles and cans to water bottles in the trash bins and on the ground at your playing fields and parks. Deposits save cities and towns money by reducing clean-up and disposal costs.
Despite overwhelming popular support—77% in a recent poll—and the endorsement of 208 cities and towns, the Massachusetts legislature has failed to pass an updated bottle bill for over 10 years. A coalition of civic and environmental organizations is now collecting signatures to put the updated bottle bill on the statewide ballot in November 2014.
The League of Women Voters of Harvard supports this ballot initiative and will be collecting signatures around town and at the Flea Market on October 12. Please sign on to reduce litter and boost recycling!
Patti Anklam, President
League of Women Voters of Harvard
