February 19, 2009
Another Try For the Bottle Bill
The so called bottle bill has come up many times at the State House and it's coming up again this year.
The President of NexCycle's California Operations was at the State Capitol on Thursday afternoon to promote a container deposit law for West Virginia.
John Ferrari says they're pushing a voluntary program that would add to the price of beverage containers. As proposed, it would be a ten cent deposit that customers would get back when they return those items to redemption centers.
"The consumer has a right to get their money back," Ferrari said on Thursday's MetroNews Talkline.
Ferrari says it's the kind of plan that has worked in other parts of the country, including California where a Container Deposit Law has been in effect for more than 20 years. "I've seen all the benefits of the program. It's a win-win-win all the way around."
Right now, the prices being paid for recyclables is down dramatically, but Ferrari says that will soon change. "The market will crawl back this year and it will bounce back. Everything, obviously, is all down at this point."
Eleven states already have container laws and similar proposals are being considered in Indiana, Florida, Maryland and Tennessee.
"Initially, it's a shocker. For the most part, it's a mindset change for the consumer but then it starts that consumer thinking about other products to be recycled," Ferrari says.
NexCycle provides beverage container redemption services. It is a subsidiary of Strategic Materials Incorporated which is the largest glass recycler in the United States.
http://www.wvmetronews.com/index.cfm?func=displayfullstory&storyid=28978
