January 30, 2011

Bottles For Nickels Program Could Be Removed
Vermont Considering Legislation To Get Rid Of Bottle Redemption
By Randy Gyllenhaal

BURLINGTON, Vt. -- Inside the Spring Discount Beverage Center, a small business is making money one nickel at a time.Owner Leo Grenon takes in used bottles and cans, and sells them back to beverage distributors to be recycled. It's been a longstanding program in Vermont and other states, but now legislation in the statehouse could be putting an end to it."You're gonna have a lot of jobs lost here in Vermont," warns Grenon, adding that his small business would essentially have to close down. "You know, the economy is bad right now, and we don't want to be laying people off. So I think that's a very important issue. It's something that should be looked at hard."The writers of the proposed bill would replace so-called "bottle redemption" facilities with curbside recycling at homes across the state. The new program would be handled by the beverage companies, not small stores like the one Grenon operates.

video at http://www.wptz.com/r/26669801/detail.html