This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

John Connolly: 30 Years Later, It's Time to Update Bottle Bill

Today I testified at the State House in favor of legislation to update the bottle bill to include non-carbonated beverages, water, iced tea, juice, and sports drinks in the state’s container deposit system. I spoke at a hearing of the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy.

This simple change would decrease litter and increase recycling. Not only is an updated bottle bill good for the environment, it’s also good for Boston’s economy, creating green jobs and saving taxpayer money.

Before the hearing, I was joined in front of the State House by state Rep. Jay Livingstone and former Massachusetts Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Ian Bowles to call on the legislature to pass an updated bottle bill. Two nearly identical plastic bottles have different rules: A bottle of carbonated water can be redeemed for five cents under existing law, and a bottle of still water cannot be redeemed.

Find out what's happening in West Roxburywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

80 percent of beverage containers that are redeemable are recycled, compared with only 23 percent of non-redeemable containers. I have filed three successful resolutions in the City Council calling for the legislature to pass the bill, but each time the legislature has failed to approve it. If the legislature does not pass a bottle bill in the next year, I will support a statewide referendum on the issue.

I call on the legislature to pass an updated bottle bill. If the legislature does not act and I’m fortunate enough to be elected mayor, I would be prepared to put the full weight of my office behind an effort to get it approved on the ballot.

Find out what's happening in West Roxburywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

A January 2011 poll by MassINC found that 77 percent of Massachusetts residents support expanding the bottle bill to include non-carbonated beverages. Last month, the Massachusetts Coalition to Update the Bottle Bill submitted an initiative petition to the Office of the Attorney General. Connolly noted today that the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection estimates that the City of Boston would save approximately $600,000 per year in the removal and disposal of beverage container litter with an expansion of the bottle bill.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?