Editorial

Broader bottle bill, less litter

EXPANDING THE Massachusetts bottle bill will discourage litter, and not just on local roadsides. Researchers at the Woods Hole-based Sea Education Association have discovered plastic debris floating in the middle of the Atlantic and resting on the ocean floor. That’s one more reason to pass the bottle bill expansion approved by a state Senate committee Wednesday. The bill would extend the five-cent deposit requirement from beer and carbonated beverages to bottled water and sports drinks. The full Senate and House should approve the measure quickly.

Passed nearly three decades ago, the state’s deposit law has greatly reduced roadside littering of the containers it covers. But bottled water and sports drinks have exploded in popularity, and now their containers are blighting the landscape and taking up space in landfills.

An earlier version of the bill, which also included fruit juice bottles, would have saved municipalities as much as $7 million in disposal costs. It would have generated $20 million in unredeemed deposits, which can be used to help cities and towns promote curbside recycling. The committee passed a somewhat more limited bill, but the benefits to communities would be significant. It is rare that legislators can save money for their towns and cities, clean up roadsides, and protect marine life. Expanding the bottle bill is a chance to do all three.

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/editorials/articles/2010/07/20/broader_bottle_bill_less_litter/