Bottle Bill Expansion Would Be Harmful
At Polar Beverages, we take being a green company very seriously. We have invested $400,000 in a new approach to heating water that cuts our natural gas bill. Our lighting is motion-activated. We're building a solar farm on our roof to generate cleaner energy. We recycle all our materials internally, and we’re close to our zero-waste goal.
Given our commitment to being environmentally conscious, we find proposals to expand the state’s bottle bill especially troubling. Not only would such a recycling policy be ineffective, but it would harm consumers, grocers and the beverage industry, creating costs that could force companies to spend less on more meaningful green initiatives.
An expanded bottle bill would add a 5-cent fee to bottled water, juices, iced tea and sports drinks, on top of the 5-cent fee we already pay for beer and soda. Between this and price hikes that could result from the added burdens the bill would place on bottlers and retailers, $58 million would be added to families’ food costs. And it could jeopardize jobs.
Economic Burden
This legislation would require grocers to redeem bottles, meaning they would have to develop the capacity to manage an influx of containers that vary in size and shape. Stores may have to make room for new machines, task staff with handling bottle redemptions, face additional pest control problems by having to keep bottles and cans with sugar residue, and be forced to give up valuable retail space. In addition, the legislation would impose a 1-cent handling fee on bottlers for each container, increasing business costs 30 percent.
While an expanded bottle bill would cost businesses and families, it would increase the state’s recycling rate only 0.12 percent. Current curbside recycling programs are more convenient, more effective and less costly. On average, each Massachusetts resident generates 1,000 pounds of solid waste a year; expanding the bottle bill will only address three pounds of that. Curbside recycling programs target a far greater portion of the waste stream and cost 90 percent less.
At Polar Beverages, we take pride in being part of the solution to reduce litter and waste and strongly oppose a policy that would counteract good recycling systems while costing us, and our customers, money. As a member of the Real Recycling for Massachusetts coalition, we have joined other businesses, trade associations, unions and individuals who support effective recycling measures and share our concerns about the costs of an expanded bottle bill.
Proponents continue to push for an expansion in the Legislature and recently filed a petition to add it as a referendum on the 2012 election ballot. The latter action is a desperate attempt to get this legislation passed after lawmakers have rightfully rejected it for years.
It’s my hope that business owners and citizens throughout the state will join in opposing legislation that raises the cost of groceries, costs businesses money and jeopardizes jobs. Instead of throwing away money at a wasteful system, we should focus on expanding existing recycling programs and pursuing business- and community-based green initiatives.
Chris Crowley is executive vice president at
Polar Beverages in Worcester.
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