May 10, 2007
State Senate OKs water bottle deposits
Gregory B. Hladky
HARTFORD — Legislation to expand Connecticut’s bottle and can deposit system to include water and other noncarbonated beverage containers sailed through the state Senate Wednesday on a 26-7 vote.
But Gov. M. Jodi Rell, who is reserving judgment on the bill, warned that it may have much more trouble winning final approval in the House.Supporters of the measure argued that the state must do something to encourage recycling of the estimated 500,000 water and noncarbonated drink bottles that are tossed into Connecticut’s trash every year.
Critics countered that requiring deposits on water bottles and other beverage containers will ultimately increase costs for consumers and create handling nightmares for stores and the beverage industry. They urged that Connecticut go to a system that uses just curbside recycling, rather than both curbside and deposit recycling.
On a 24-pack of small water bottles, a 5-cent per bottle deposit would raise the total cost by $1.20.
Advocates for the expansion of the state’s deposit system said the bill will also increase handling fees for stores and redemption centers to help cover the anticipated flood of redeemed noncarbonated containers.
"The point of this bill is not to cost (stores and beverage manufacturers) money, but to improve our environment," said state Sen. Bill Finch, D-Bridgeport, one of the measure’s primary sponsors.
Finch said the current 2-cent per container fee that stores and redemption centers get for each soda can or bottle would be increased to 3-cents per container for everything except beer. The current 1.5 cent per beer container handling fee would remain unchanged, he said.
According to Finch, experts estimate that the number of water bottles consumed in Connecticut will hit 1 billion within the next five years. He said the only way to deal with such a vast increase is to use both the deposit system and curbside recycling.
"We’ve got to do both," said Finch, who is co-chairman of the legislature’s Environment Committee. He said recycling water bottles could result in a reduction in greenhouse gases in this state.
"This is a wonderful step forward for the environment," said state Sen. Edward Meyer, D-Guilford.
But Senate Minority Leader Louis C. DeLuca, R-Woodbury, insisted that extending the 5-cent deposit to non-carbonated beverage bottles "is the wrong way to go."
"I’m a firm believer that it’s going to increase the cost of products because (the beverage industry) will have to set up … a new return system," said DeLuca. "That money could better be used to promote (curbside) recycling."
"I’d like to see one system of recycling," DeLuca said.
State Sen. Judith G. Freedman, R-Westport, agreed. "This bifurcated system right now is confusing to a lot of people," she said. "I would just as soon dump (all cans and bottles) into my recycling bins."
Rell declined to say whether she would sign or veto the measure if it reaches her desk, saying she hasn’t seen the latest version of the legislation. But, she added that "it may not pass the House" because of opposition in that chamber.
The original "Bottle Bill" was passed by the General Assembly in 1978 and took effect in 1980.
The expansion of the deposit system to water and noncarbonated beverages would, if approved by the House and signed into law by Rell, take effect Oct. 1, 2008.
Gregory B. Hladky can be contacted at ghladky@nhregister.com or (860) 524-0719.
http://www.nhregister.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18321847&BRD=1281&PAG=461&dept_id=590581&rfi=6
