Bottle Bill Is Not the Answer

We need your help! SB 215 is not the answer. Write your member of the State Senate and State House of Representatives about SB 215 – Litter Reduction Act of 2007!

We encourage you to personalize your letter. Here are some hints to keep in mind:

Tell about your store (number of years in operation, number of stores, other store locations).
Clearly state that you are opposed and give a few reasons why IN YOUR OWN WORDS.
Explain how this bill would impact your store and/or your customers.
Do not threaten; ask them to help you.

Sample Letter for Campaign

Subject: I Oppose the Bottle Bill - SB215

Dear [ Decision Maker ] ,

I am writing to ask that you oppose Senate Bill 215, The 2007 Litter Reduction Act, sponsored by Senator Doug Berger (D) Franklin County.

This bill would increase the cost of every beverage container sold in North Carolina by 10 cents. More accurately, it would be a 10 cents tax on every consumer beverage of milk, beer, wine, soft drinks and juice, no matter what the size of the container, severely diminishing every consumer's buying power. If a consumer regularly purchases two six-packs of soda, one six-pack of beer, and two bottles of milk, he will pay an addition $2.00 for this litter tax in addition to the sales tax.

As none of our neighboring state governments have passed forced deposit legislation, North Carolina would become a target for redemption fraud. Any of the 2.6 million North Carolinians living in any one of our 40 border counties could cross state lines to purchase beverages for 10 cents less than they can purchase them in our state and then redeem these out-of-state beverage containers for 10 cents each, netting a 20 cents profit on every beverage they consumed (and my store would lose beverage sales as well as all other sales!). Consumers from neighboring states could cross these same lines and redeem 10 cents on a carload of containers purchased free of deposit in their home state.

Our existing curbside recycling programs work very well and continue to grow. This bill would siphon off much of the revenue that those programs derive from the sale of valuable aluminum and plastic and would stunt the growth of new programs.

Although Senator Berger has titled his bill a Litter Reduction Act, beverage containers make up less than as 10% of roadside litter, meaning that this bill will do nothing to reduce the lion's share (90%) of what ends up in the litter stream.

Thank you for taking the time to learn about this issue, which will have a very negative impact on my store. Please oppose this Bottle Bill!

Sincerely,

Campaign Launched:
March 08, 2007

Background Information

What is a Bottle Bill?

What is Mandatory Deposit Legislation?
While exact requirements vary by state, all forced deposit programs share common elements: all impose a mandatory, pre-paid fee on certain beverage containers; all require consumers to return containers to designated locations to reclaim the fee; all subject businesses and government to lost revenues through fraud; and all require retailers or some type of redemption center to take back returned beverage containers.

Who has them?
Oregon passed the first bottle bill in 1971, followed by Vermont, Michigan, Maine, Iowa, Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts and New York. California’s unique system has been in place since 1986. Most recently, Hawaii passed a deposit law to that took effect in 2005. In 2007, the legislatures in Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia have filed bottle bills.

What are the cost implications?
The operating costs of deposit programs are at least four times the cost of comprehensive recycling. And new programs, such as California’s, have high state costs as well. California’s bureaucracy has 200 workers and costs $20 million per year just for oversight.

Details of Senator Berger’s bill follow:

Does not require retailers to accept deposit bottles.
Imposes a 10¢ deposit on all beverage containers sold in North Carolina. Containers included are all alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages including milk, juices, water, beer, soda, teas, wine, and liquor. Containers made from glass, plastic, aluminum, and cardboard, regardless of size (2 oz to 100 oz) are included.
Beverages containers would be redeemed at state-run redemption centers. The bill is vague as to where redemption centers will be located.
Increase in refund value by 5¢ every five years if the return rate for containers of similar composition is less than 75% as determined by the state.

Retailers of beverage containers (including vending machine operators) must:
Pay collected deposits to beverage distributors
Collect the refund value from consumers beginning January 1, 2008.
Post a sign indicating the location of the nearest certified redemption center

Consumers are required to pay the 10¢ deposit on all beverage containers purchased starting January 1, 2008; but no refunds would be payable until July 1, 2008.