10¢ Bottle Deposit Defeated! Expansion to Bottled Water Compromise Supported By Industry

Dear Common Cents CT supporter:

Thank you so much for the thousands of emails, faxes, and letters you’ve sent to members of the Connecticut General Assembly. Due to your advocacy efforts, we have defeated proposals to increase the bottle redemption fee to 10¢ and expand the bottle law to ALL non-carbonated beverages.

Unfortunately, Connecticut’s continued budget crisis has created a desperate need for additional state revenues. To plug the state’s budget deficit, both Governor Rell and the General Assembly have proposed expanding the existing 5¢ bottle deposit to bottled water, with the state keeping most of the revenue generated from unclaimed deposits.

During these trying times, the Common Cents CT coalition and our food and bottled beverage industry members recognize that difficult compromises must be made. While we continue to believe that convenient, clean, and green curbside recycling is the most effective long term solution for recycling in our state, we are reluctantly supporting compromise legislation to expand the 5¢ bottle deposit to bottled water.

This is a difficult compromise, but in the current environment, we feel it is the best possible deal for our Connecticut customers, and far preferable to the alternative of increasing the bottle redemption to 10¢ for all non-carbonated beverages.

Sincerely,
The Common Cents CT Coalition

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During tough economic times, it’s common sense that consumers want to save every penny possible to help make ends meet. Unfortunately, the General Assembly isn’t proposing common sense solutions for Connecticut consumers.  Instead, they are proposing legislation to increase the bottle deposit to 10¢ while also expand the bottle law to ALL non-carbonated beverages.  This will take hard earned money out of your pocket while having virtually no impact on litter. It’s not a Common Cents solution!

That’s why the Common Cents CT Coalition is working to oppose the increase in the bottle deposit and the expansion of the bottle bill to all non-carbonated beverages.  Put simply it’s the Wrong Product, in the Wrong Place, at the Wrong Time.  And all while there’s a more convenient and environmentally friendly alternative, single stream recycling.

Wrong Product
Imagine having to pay 10¢ more for all of these common beverages?!  Not to mention that most of these bottles wont fit in the current reverse vending machines.

Wrong Place
Grocery stores should not be recycling centers.  It’s unsanitary to bring all those dirty bottles and cans back to the store.

Wrong Time
In the midst of the current economic crisis,  food budgets are already stretched too tight for many families where every penny counts.  Consumers shouldn’t be forced to pay 10¢ more for bottled water, juices, and teas.

A Better Way To Recycle: Single Stream Recycling
If we’re really serious about the environment then single stream technology should be the way of the future for recycling in Connecticut. Unlike the old, inconvenient, and inefficient method of redeeming bottles at supermarkets, single stream recycling is:

• Clean – No more messy sorting of your different recyclables.

• Green – The technology dramatically increases recycling rates, in some cases by more than 90%!

• Convenient – All of your recyclables (glass and plastic bottles, aluminum cans, newspapers, magazines, paper goods, and cardboard) go into one bin.

To learn more about single stream recycling, visit www.21stcenturyrecycling.org.

www.commoncentct.org is a project of and is sponsored by the 21st Century Recycling Coalition