May 6, 2011
City on board with bottle bill expansion
PITTSFIELD -- Pittsfield has added its name to the growing list of Massachusetts cities and towns calling for an expanded bottle bill law.
The City Council recently endorsed a resolution urging the state Legislature to add water, sports drinks, flavored tea and other on-the-go beverage containers to the nickel deposit list. The current bottle bill, passed nearly 30 years ago, primarily covers soda and beer cans and bottles.
Pittsfield is among 16 of the county's 32 municipalities and 181 out of 351 statewide petitioning state lawmakers to approve the expansion bill still pending in the House and Senate.
Mayor James M. Ruberto said Pittsfield backing the legislation is a "no-brainer" given the city is a state recognized green community. Pittsfield hosts one of the largest private utility solar panel projects, saves thousands of dollars each year by using energy efficient street lights, and promotes bicycling over driving whenever possible to reduce fuel consumption.
"Pittsfield and the Berkshires are green and this only adds to our desire," Ruberto said Thursday during a brief press conference at City Hall.
Bottle deposit supporters claim a expanding the law will increase the state's recycling efforts. The environmental group MASSPIRG cites how 80 percent of the beverage containers under the current law are redeemed at 5 cents apiece compared to 22 percent of non-deposit containers being recycled.
"If the expanded bottle bill passes, what we take out of the waste stream would fill Fenway Park to the Green Monster seats [33 feet high] in one year," said Mark Walsh, MASSPIRG's Berkshire coordinator.
Ruberto noted, "The state estimates it takes about $1 per person each year to clean up bottles that become litter."
However, bottle bill opponents view the proposed expansion as an unnecessary added cost in tough economic times for the retailers saddled with the responsibility of collecting the redeemable bottles and cans.
"The retail store is not meant to be a trash bin bottle redemption is a messy operation," said Bill Rennie, vice president of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts. "Curbside recycling is a more effective and appropriate way to reduce waste."
http://www.berkshireeagle.com/local/ci_18004777
