Do We Pass Through?

When I arrived at the portal (pictured at left) on Lake Cochituate this morning, I didn't hesitate before deciding to pass on through. I'd been through it before and had a pretty good idea of what lies on the other side. However, as I proceeded through I couldn't help but think of the uncertain fate of our Massachusetts Bottle Bill and wondered if it, too, will finally pass on through, so to speak.  Our present Bottle Bill enacted in 1983 applies a 5-cent deposit to carbonated beverages.  Efforts are currently underway to expand the program to include a 5-cent deposit on non-carbonated beverages such as bottled water, sports drinks, and iced teas.  Signatures collected for a citizens petition are in the process of being certified.  If they are certified and the Massachusetts Legislature fails to pass similar legislation before July 2, the issue will be decided by voters as a referendum question on November 4th.  Those who oppose expanding the Bottle Bill argue that it is unnecessary, and some go still further stating that due to today's recycling programs the idea of our present Bottle Bill is outdated.

What they don't mention is that several of our neighboring states, Connecticut, Maine, and New York, have already gone ahead and expanded their bottle bills to include non-carbonated beverages.  To the best of my knowledge, bottled water, sports drinks, and iced teas are still available in those states and there has not been any wide-spread panic.

I believe that Maine has the best program because it promotes the creation of independent redemption centers allowing grocery stores to opt out of accepting deposit containers provided there is a redemption center located nearby.

One "what if?" scenario I wonder about is this:  In communities that have "Pay as you throw" programs (fee for trash/no fee for recyclables) which result in the highest recycling rates, would it be possible for those grocery stores to sell non-refrigerated (carbonated/non-carbonated) beverages without a deposit, and refrigerated (carbonated/non-carbonated) beverages with a deposit?   The assumption being that non-refrigerated beverages would most likely be brought back home and recycled, whereas the refrigerated beverages would more than likely be consumed away from the home and therefore less likely to be recycled.  Might there be an app for this someday down the road?

Another suggestion I would offer is that plastic containers have their redemption value stamped directly on the container rather than on a flimsy label.  The glue holding the labels doesn't stand up well to contact with water.

At any rate Cochituate's three ponds were looking nice this morning...

The greenheads were out...

 
...and this cormorant had the best seat in the house...

  
My trash haul, once again, demonstrated why our Bottle Bill needs expanding...

There were 22 recyclable containers (6 redeemable) and 13 pieces of miscellaneous rubbish such as plastic bags, and Styrofoam.  YTD = 2964