LWVCT Urges CGA to Support SB 1289 Bottle Bill 4/18/07
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The League of Women Voters of Connecticut, comprised of over 2400 members across the state, thanks the members of the General Assembly that have gone on record in support of SB 1289, the “Bottle Bill”. To the remaining members, the League urges your support for this Pro-Environment, Pro-Resource Conservation, Pro-Taxpayer, proposal. The League was among the organizations that fought for passage of the original redemption-recycling bill and although time has passed, our commitment has not.
With the Container Recycling Institute estimating that 425 million bottles of water alone were sold in Connecticut in 2005,[1] it’s not surprising that it seems everywhere.. With the most recent census population indicating a state population of approximately 3.5 million people, that’s about a whopping 120 bottles for every man, woman and child in the state!
In order to reduce the number of bottles ending up in our landfills or littering our roadways, the League of Women Voters believes that expanding the 5cent deposit to water and other non-carbonated beverages is a simple, proven way to go. Connecticut has had a beverage container redemption program for over 25 years. The current redemption rates of approximately 65-70% demonstrate that Connecticut’s long-standing user-funded program is effective and equitable, i.e., only those that use the designated products are subject to the program. Curbside recycling rate, which is not available in all Connecticut towns, has only reached a high of about 30%. Keep in mind that our state’s newly adopted Solid Waste Management Plan states simply and clearly “There is not enough disposal capacity in-state to handle all the Connecticut solid waste requiring disposal.”[2] The plan projects that if we maintain the current rates noted above, taxpayers will be funding the shipment of 1.5 million tons of waste out of state annually in less than 20 years.[3]
The deposit redemption program was intended to be a litter control measure and it has worked. In addition returning our bottles for redemption, many of us have witnessed the "unofficial litter patrol" picking up bottle litter thus saving local tax dollars by saving the cost of having to clean up that litter and pay for the disposal of what they pick up. Municipalities have gone on record in support the expansion of the bottle deposit.
Opponents to
expanding the deposit say it’s a tax. If it were a tax, the money would go to
into the state coffers – it doesn’t. The deposit is more akin to a user fee –
those who use the product, pay the fee upon purchase. When bottles are returned,
the user gets the money back. If the user doesn’t return the bottles, then the
distributor keeps the fee with a portion being paid to the redemption center
that handles all the bottles.
In light of redemption-recycling program’s proven success, isn’t spending tax dollars for many other critical needs such as transportation, education, or health care, a more prudent use of public dollars than using it to get rid of empty bottles?
Please vote yes on SB 1289.
Cheryl Dunson, VP Public Issues League of Women Voters of Connecticut · 1890 Dixwell Avenue Hamden, CT 06514 · 203/288-7996 [1] Pat Franklin, Exec.Director, Container Recycling Institute, LOB Press Conference, Feb.28,2007 [2] State of Connecticut, State Solid Waste Management Plan, December 2006, Executive Summary, P. ES-9 [3] State of Connecticut, State Solid Waste Management Plan, December 2006, Executive Summary, P. ES-5 |
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