This week, the Agency of Natural Resources released a draft Bottle Bill report looking at whether we should repeal, maintain, or expand the program. The Agency report is almost entirely focused on how much the deposit program costs to operate.
But the Bottle Bill is about a lot more than that. It's about recycling, less litter, local jobs, bottle drives for community groups, and much more.
In addition, bottle bills are among the most successful models for recycling in the world! Just take a look at some of these stats from a recent VPIRG and Container Recycling Institute study:
- Locations with both bottle deposits and curbside recycling consistently achieve higher recycling rates with lower overall costs.
- Litter continues to be significantly lower in Bottle Bill states.
- Many beverages are consumed on-the-go, so the deposit incentive is particularly effective at getting people to recycle, even when they’re away from their home recycling bins.
The question is, will you come to Montpelier, too?
Please come to the Bottle Bill Public Forum on March 12, from 5:30-7pm. I'll be there and I hope you will join me. I will be giving public comments to support expanding the bottle bill to include all beverage containers, including bottled water and energy drinks, both of which are missing now.
RSVP here (or just show up!). VPIRG will be there as well to provide support.
Together, we can expand this successful recycling program and save countless amounts of plastic in our landfills, communities, and waterways.
*post written with supporting material from our friends at VPIRG
