Winchester

STATEHOUSE: Rep. Jason Lewis advocates on Beacon Hill for increased recycling

Winchester, MA - State Representative Jason Lewis recently testified at a State House hearing in support of legislation that would increase recycling of plastic and glass bottles in Massachusetts. Lewis is a co-sponsor of the bill, commonly referred to as the “Bottle Bill,” that would update and expand the state’s existing beverage container redemption law.

“It’s time to update the Bottle Bill,” Lewis said. “It is good for our environment and will save money for our communities by increasing recycling and reducing solid waste.”

The existing Bottle Bill, originally passed in 1982, is the state’s most successful recycling and litter prevention program. Consumers pay a five-cent deposit on beer and soda cans and bottles, which is redeemed when the consumer returns the empty beverage container to the retail store, a redemption center or a reverse vending machine. Since it was first implemented, more than 30 billion containers have been redeemed and recycled, helping to clean up Massachusetts and reducing waste disposal costs for municipalities.

The current legislation would add bottled water, sports drinks, iced tea, juice drinks, and other on-the-go beverages to the existing redemption system. These kinds of bottled beverages hardly existed when the law was first passed. Today, however, they account for 37 percent of all the beverage containers sold in Massachusetts each year.

Only about 20 percent of the containers that are not covered by the Bottle Bill are recycled, compared to 80 percent of the containers that are covered.

Updating and expanding the Bottle Bill is a simple and effective way to reduce litter, decrease landfill use, and save our towns money from reduced solid waste disposal costs. The legislation would also reestablish the state’s Clean Environment Fund — to be funded with unredeemed deposits — that would provide grants to help our communities further increase their recycling rates and save money.

Ken Pruitt, Managing Director of the Environmental League of Massachusetts and Stoneham resident, agrees.

“I applaud Rep. Lewis for his leadership in supporting an update to the Massachusetts Bottle Bill,” said Pruitt. “The Bottle Bill is the most successful recycling and litter prevention law in the history of our state. This is a change that should have been made many years ago, and with help from Rep. Lewis and others, hopefully the time has come.”

Stoneham is one of 85 municipalities that have adopted resolutions in support of updating the Bottle Bill. Winchester is currently considering whether to adopt a similar resolution.

http://www.wickedlocal.com/winchester/news/x1365714485/STATEHOUSE-Rep-Jason-Lewis-advocates-on-Beacon-Hill-for-increased-recycling