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MassDEP Commissioner Testifies in Favor of Bottle Bill Expansion BOSTON - Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) Commissioner Kenneth Kimmell testified today at a hearing on the Bottle Bill that an expansion of the bottle deposit law will significantly increase recycling rates, greatly reduce litter in the environment, and help communities save millions of dollars in disposal costs. Commissioner Kimmell also testified that a preliminary survey conducted by MassDEP indicated that an expansion of the Bottle Bill to include water, tea and sport-drink containers will neither increase product costs nor limit consumer choice of beverages. The survey also indicated that reverse vending machines currently in use at stores in Massachusetts have the capacity to accept more containers from an expanded bottle deposit law without placing a burden on retailers and the public. "The Bottle Bill reduces litter, generates an impressive recycling rate, and saves municipalities money - an estimated $7 million per year in combined trash collection and disposal. An expanded Bottle Bill will be good for the Massachusetts environment, and for cities and towns," said Commissioner Kimmell, who testified before the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy. "Claims that an expansion will increase consumer costs and limit beverage choices is not supported by the facts." The MassDEP preliminary survey was conducted between May and July 2011 and compared four states with bottle deposit laws and one state without a deposit law - New Hampshire. Massachusetts has a bottle deposit law that covers beer and soda containers; Connecticut and New York have laws that also include water bottles; and Maine has a law that covers all drink containers that are four liters or less. The survey looked at various types and sizes of non-alcoholic beverages that are sold with or without bottle deposits, depending on the state in which they are sold. Four components were examined: price comparisons between states for specific supermarket chains; analysis of pricing at various retail outlets across states; analysis of product availability; and interviews with retailers and third-party service providers on operational issues. The survey looked at beverage prices and availability at supermarkets, convenience stores and other retailers in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and New York. An analysis of the data indicates that the presence of a bottle deposit law has no discernable effect on the retail price of beverages. The data also suggests that Maine and Connecticut retailers have not borne significant added expense from the updating of the bottle laws in those states. The bottle bill updates in Maine and Connecticut have not caused significant cost increases because both states have reverse vending machines, which can handle a large volume and array of materials in an efficient manner, and updating the bottle bill simply meant higher utilization of these existing machines. The survey suggests that this would be the case in Massachusetts as well. The survey also shows that price variations most closely correlate with the individual retail chain in which the beverage is sold, and no evidence was found to suggest that beverage pricing is influenced by whether the beverage has a deposit or not in a particular state. MassDEP researchers also interviewed Massachusetts supermarket store managers about the operational and customer service aspects of bottle redemption, and found that utilization of reverse vending machines (RVMs) was less than 10 percent and there was plenty of capacity in the current machines should the bottle deposit law be expanded here. The store managers also reported few RVM problems concerning machine maintenance or product pickup, and customer satisfaction was considered high. MassDEP also interviewed the two primary RVM manufacturers and service providers, who confirmed that the existing processing capacity of RVMs was significantly underutilized across New England, and RVM technology is capable of accepting at least 85 percent, if not all, of the containers proposed under an updated bottle deposit law in the Commonwealth, depending on type of beverage and size of container included in the update. The Massachusetts Bottle Deposit Law, implemented in 1983, places a five-cent deposit on all carbonated soft drinks, beer, malt beverages and sparking water with the assurance that consumers can redeem their empty containers for a nickel. Over the past 28 years, the beverage industry has grown to include a number of new products, and so the proposed expansion would include water, flavored water, coffee-based drinks, juices, teas and sports drinks. These products now make up more than half of all non-alcoholic beverages sold. The benefits of an updated bottle deposit law include:
To view of copy of MassDEP's bottle deposit law expansion survey, turn to: http://www.mass.gov/dep/recycle/reduce/bottleca.htm To view Commissioner Kimmell's testimony before the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy, turn to: http://www.mass.gov/dep/about/bbtest11.htm MassDEP is responsible for ensuring clean air and water, safe management and recycling of solid and hazardous wastes, timely cleanup of hazardous waste sites and spills, and the preservation of wetlands and coastal resources. ### |
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