Links
- massbottlebill.org (from MA Sierra Club)
- MassPIRG
- Massachusetts General Court
- Other bottle bill campaigns
Resources
- MA Bottle Bill in the News
- Look up Senate bills
- Look up House bills
- Massachusetts' existing deposit law
- Campaign History
Press Releases
- Sen. Nuciforo Introduces Bill to Update Massachusetts Bottle Bill - June 2003
- State Senator Nuciforo Leads Drive to Update the Bottle Bill - May 2003
Other resources
- Renewing the Massachussets Bottle Bill: onstant Goals, Changing Times [PDF,489kb] June 2003
- Results of the Charles River cleanup [PDF,381 Kb] April 2003
- Economic & environmental benefits of beverage container recycling: The case for updating Massachusetts' bottle bill [PDF,144kb] March 1998
Massachusetts
The 2011-2012 Bill
As in previous years, the bill in Massachusetts aims to expand the deposit to almost all noncarbonated beverages.| Bill Number and Name | House Bill 890  Bill textSenate Bill S1650 |
|---|---|
| Sponsors | Rep. Alice K. Wolf, Sen. Cynthia Creem |
| Beverages Covered | Expanded to include all nonalcoholic drinks except milk and dairy beverages, and FDA approved medicines. |
| Containers Covered | Excludes paper-based biodegradable containers and aseptic containers (the current law excludes all biodegradable containers and does not specifically mention aseptic containers) |
| Deposits | 5¢ |
| Handling Fees | Increased from 2¼¢ to 3¼¢ and made subject to semi-annual review to account for redemption centers' operating costs. |
| Unredeemed Deposits | Forfeited deposits are currently turned over to the state. The bill would dedicate the forfeited deposits to recycling and environmental programs. |
Details
The most significant change that this bill makes to Massachusetts' deposit law is to add all noncarbonated beverages (except dairy and medicines).
Additionally, the bill makes several changes to the current law for clarification purposes. These changes are:
- Adds a category called "small dealer" and allows them to opt out of taking back empty containers if a redemption center is nearby, and they have received permission by the State Executive Office of Energy and Environmental affairs.
Re-establishes the "Clean Environment Fund." used to support recycling, solid waste reduction, and composting programs as well as other environmental programs.
With continued lack of action from legislature on the bill, deposit proponents took preliminary steps to introduce the update as a ballot initiative. However, on September 22, the Campaign for an Updated Bottle Bill announced that they had enlisted the support of a majority of legislators, and would be dropping the ballot initiative.
Progress
February 13, 2011: Introduced
February 15, 2011: Referred to Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy.
July 20, 2011: Joint Hearing held
Contacts
www.massbottlebill.org
www.facebook.com/BottleBill
Phil Sego
Sierra Club
617-423-5775
phil@sierraclubmass.org
Janet Domenitz
MASSPIRG
617-292-4800
Janet.Domenitz@MASSPIRG.org
Jack Clarke
Mass Audubon
617-962-5187
jclarke@massaudubon.org
