Bottle Law Expansion Advocated In Massachusetts

Advocates for expanding the bottle deposit law in Massachusetts are lobbying hard  get it through the state legislature after nearly two decades of frustration.  WAMC’s Paul Tuthill reports.

   The Massachusetts Senate has approved a bill  to require a nickel deposit on bottles of water, juices and sports drinks, just as the law has required for soda and beer for 30 years.  It passed on a voice vote as an amendment to a housed passed  jobs bill . Its fate is in the hands of a conference committee, according to State Rep. Stephen Kulik of Worthington.

   Kulik says the bottle bill expansion would reduce litter and increase jobs at redemption and recycling centers. Critics say it’s a tax, because the state projects it would collect an additional $22 million in unredeemed bottle deposits.