Massachusetts environmental advocates today filed a ballot initiative for 2014 to update the state’s bottle deposit law.
For the last 10 years, state lawmakers have proposed bills to expand the bottle law. The bills have died every time.
Now environmental activists are taking the issue to the voters.
The 32-year-old bottle law charges consumers 5 cents on bottles and cans of beer and carbonated beverages. The ballot initiative would add water, juice and sports drinks to the list. If consumers return the containers to the store or redemption centers, they get the 5 cents back. Otherwise, it goes to the state.
Janet Domenitz, executive director of MassPIRG, says expanding the bottle bill would help clean up the environment.
“One, it reduces litter, two it increases recycling, and three it saves cities and towns money in trash and disposal costs,” she said.
Critics of the proposal, including grocery store retailers, say it would amount to an added tax on consumers who are too busy to save and return bottles.
