Your Voice Needed In Support of an Expanded “Bottle Bill” 2/23/07

Please add your voice in support of  Senate Bill 1289 An Act Concerning The Expansion Of The Beverage Container Redemption Provisions by Wednesday, Feb 28, 2007.

(http://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&bill_num=SB01289&which_year=2007)

This bill adds bottled water and non-carbonated beverages, e.g., sport drinks and iced teas,  to the beverage container redemption-recycling program and increases the deposit to ten cents. The Environment Committee hearing on this bill will be WED, February 28^th.

The League of Women Voters of CT actively supported the passage of the original bottle bill and views SB 1289 as an effective method to promote recycling of solid waste by expanding the redemption program. SB 1289 is consistent with the Department of Environmental Protection’s new solid waste management plan that calls for reducing the amount of waste generated - in part by dramatically increasing the target rate of statewide recycling from 30% to 58%.

Connecticut has had a bottle bill – a five cent deposit on carbonated beverage containers - for 26 years.  Curbside recycling, although not available in every town, has been around for 15 years.  Actual data can be used to compare the success rates of both of these programs.  The best recycling towns in CT have yet to reach 30% recycling rate.  The redemption recycling rate is between 66-70% - more than double!

Curbside recycling is needed for items consumed at home like mayonnaise jars and peanut butter jars that are emptied infrequently.  Curbside recycling doesn’t capture beverage containers that are usually consumed away from home, where there are no blue bins.   No one carries their empty containers home to recycle.

Redemption recycling is user-funded privately.  Curbside is funded by taxpayers. According to a 2002 estimate, 215 million water bottles alone are sold in Connecticut every year – that represents approximately 60 bottles for every man, woman and child in the state! Yes, all consumers are tax payers, but not all taxpayers are consumers of these particular products.  That's why a user fee for these abundant containers is fairer.

Opponents have argued, among other things, that curbside recycling is sufficient and no expanded redemption is needed. Senator Finch and Representative Roy, co-chairs of the Environment Committee, have an excellent fact sheet with additional information at:

http://www.senatedems.state.ct.us/Finch-0701-BottleBill.pdf

The League hopes that with your help, the third time will be the charm! This bill failed the first year, and was not called for a vote last year. We particularly ask our friends in the Northwest corner of the state to contact their legislators who are members of the Environment Committee. Please email:

House Speaker Jim Amann Jim.Amann@cga.ct.gov

And

The Members of the Environment Committee

Connecticut General Assembly - Committee Members 

Or Call :

Senate Democrats

(860) 240-8600 or 1-800-842-1420

Senate Republicans

(860) 240-8800 or 1-800-842-1421

House Democrats

(860) 240-8585 or 1-800-842-8267

House Republicans

(860) 240-8787 or 1-800-842-8270

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