|
SUMMARY: In the past year and a half, there has been a resurgent interest in bottle bills in the United States. At least 23 states, one city, and one U.S. commonwealth have considered a total of over 60 bottle bill related proposals during the 2001-2002 legislative sessions. These proposals would do one of four things: 1) create a new deposit system; 2) update a current law to include additional types of beverages, increase the per container deposit, or increase the handling fee; 3) escheat to the state the unclaimed deposits, and/or 4) repeal an existing deposit law. Hearings were held in either 2001 or 2002 in Hawaii, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oklahoma, and Washington.
A referendum vote in Columbia, Missouri in April 2002 resulted in repeal of the only municipal bottle ordinance in the nation. The Hawai'i legislature passed the first bottle bill in 16 years and the governor signed the bill into law on June 25, 2002. The only state that is likely to see action in the remainder of 2002 is New York where an expansion proposal is being seriously considered.
|
|
