As of now, Maine is the only state to offer a bottle deposit for all containers except milk and cider, but perhaps that is soon changing. On Feb. 4, Governor M. Jodi Rell of Connecticut proposed, as part of her state budget, to make plastic water bottles refundable.
Listen toRell’s Water Bottle Deposit Plan here.
Adding a 5 cent bottle return on water bottles would, “add $12.1 million in new revenue to the state annually,” Rell said.
Because drinking bottled water has become trendy in recent years, making the plastic containers refundable in extremely necessary. Since water bottles first grew in popularity around 2000, they have been plaguing landfills ever since.
In 2006 U.S. citizens consumed the most bottled worldwide at 8,254 gallons of bottled water, with Mexico in a far-from-second place at 5,360 gallons. This is ironic because much of the tap water in the U.S. is perfectly safe to drink and it usually tastes no different than it’s trendy, bottled, identical twin. Where does bottled water come from…no surprise, a tap!
Water Bottles in Landfill
Though recently CT representatives have been scrambling to dig up money where ever they can in light of the astronomical state deficit, and bottle deposits was one idea. Senate President Donald E. Williams, Jr. said it nicely, “While this is not a new proposal, I believe there is a new sense of urgency for an expanded bottle bill that will improve Connecticut’s environment and its budget.”
Connecticut is only one of 11 states that offer bottle deposits. With a struggling economy and growing landfills, why don’t more states hop on the recycling band wagon? In this age, plastic = money and it’s time to cash in.
