A good flyer delivers its message clearly and concisely, making it the perfect handout at events where many people might be unfamiliar with your campaign.
Since 1982, more than 75 billion containers bearing a 5-cent deposit have been redeemed under New York's bottle bill, contributing to a healthier environment, cleaner and safer communities and a stronger economy. But, the bottle bill must be updated to keep up with our times. The Bigger, Better Bottle Bill, A.3922A/S.1696A, sponsored by Assemblyman DiNapoli and Senator LaValle would:
• Expand New York's Bottle Bill to include deposits on non-carbonated beverages, such as bottled water, iced tea, juice and sports drinks; and,
• Require the beverage industry to return all unclaimed deposits to the state to fund municipal recycling and waste prevention programs .
Build on sound policy to enhance our economy:
- Using unclaimed deposits now retained by the beverage industry to benefit New York's environment, as Michigan and Massachusetts have done, is the public's right.
The bigger bottle bill will require the beverage industry to return an estimated $179 million in unclaimed deposits to the state annually. |
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Collecting these monies adds to funding available through the Environmental Protection Fund for municipal recycling, waste reduction and other environmental programs.
- Saving tax-payers and municipalities the cost of collecting and either recycling or disposing of beverage containers has saved New Yorkers more than $300 million in landfill fees since 1983.
- Expanding the bottle bill will create new jobs in the recycling and retail industries and help New York's neediest citizens supplement their income.
Update a proven system to create a healthier environment.
- Updating New York's law to include bottled water, iced tea, juice and sport drink containers makes a proven system even more effective. These beverages barely existed when the first bottle bill was passed, but now account for more than 21% of the beverage market.
The bigger, better bottle bill will divert
up to 2.6 billion
more containers
from the waste
stream each year. |
- Providing an economic incentive to redeem containers increases recycling rates, reduces litter and minimizes stress on our landfills. The bottle bill already has diverted more than 5.2 million tons from the waste stream over the past 20 years.
- Boosting recycling rates means fewer containers will be landfilled or incinerated, more natural resources will be conserved, energy will be saved and greenhouse gases reduced.
- Covering non-carbonated containers would be good for recycling industries. The containers often consist of high quality materials that are more likely to be recycled into new bottles and cans.
Expand an effective law to keep our communities clean and safe:
- Recent surveys have shown that non-redeemable containers make up nearly two-thirds of the beverage containers piling up on New York's shorelines, up to 11% of all litter in some communities.
-
The bigger, better bottle bill
will reduce litter by up to 11%. |
Removing more bottles will reduce the amount of broken glass in our playgrounds and parks, resulting in fewer incidents of cuts and lacerations among children.
- Less litter and broken glass along our streets and highways will mean less property damage to farm equipment, livestock, and vehicles.
- Bearing the cost of a product's waste should be the responsibility of beverage producers and their consumers, not taxpayers and communities. The bottle bill is a model for this kind of sustainability.
Put the bottle bill to work for New York!
The bottle bill has been an environmental success story for New York. But, we need your help to make it bigger, better and keep up with changing times. To find out more about this campaign, please visit www.nybottlebill.org .
revised 1/12/04
