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Real Recycling for Massachusetts, an organization made up of businesses, individuals, trade organizations and unions who support increasing the state's recycling

STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, MARCH 16, 2012…..Backers of a bill to expand the state’s recycling law by adding a 5-cent deposit to the cost of non-carbonated bottled beverages say they have

Last year $33 million in unclaimed bottle deposits were added to Massachusetts’s general fund. Back in 1995, 100% of unclaimed deposits helped fund the recycling programs of the Department of Environmental Protection and the

State Representative Richard Bastien outlined an alternative to the expanded bottle bill that emphasizes the importance of recycling through a “single stream” system in which all recyclables can be placed in the

Putting jobs in jeopardy, burdening small businesses and raising the price of beverages are just a few of the problems that come with expanding the bottle bill.

It is unlikely that a 5-cent return will influence non-recycling residents to change their minds about recycling. Instead expanding the bottle bill will hurt those who already recycle using city recycle bins. Expanding

Polar Beverages prides themselves on being environmentally conscious. As they approach their zero-waste goal, they worry that expanding the bottle bill may be a step backwards. Polar Beverages believes that

Soaring beverage prices are a main concern of local bottling company, Polar Beverages. As the nation’s largest independent soft drink bottler, Polar produces up to 80 million cases of beverages each year. Polar

Chris Flynn, President of the Massachusetts Food Association speaks out against the dangers of expanding the Bottle Bill and discusses how opposition is growing. Flynn explains, “The tremendous support this coalition has received demonstrates the immense

Thirty-one petitions were filed with the Attorney General’s Office, including a petition to expand the state’s bottle bill.  Submitting the petition is only one small step in actually securing a spot on

The organization, Real Recycling for Massachusetts, is a collection of “unions, businesses, trade organizations and citizens” who are calling the bottle bill “a costly and inefficient method of encouraging recycling.”  Declaring that the bottle

A consulting firm argued with the Department of Environmental Protection’s push to expand the Massachusetts bottle bill, saying the expanded law will add $58 million to the financial burdens of stores and

Food and beverage industry groups oppose the expansion of the bottle bill in Massachusetts because they say it will “cost them millions of dollars and cost the state jobs.” The bill is supposedly being passed to

A previous opinion piece by Paul McMorrow argues that “expanding deposits to water, juice, and sports drink bottles would increase prices and is inefficient compared to recycling bins.”

Read the full story by the Boston Globe by

Some believe that the expanded bottle bill is only rewarding people to clean up after those who litter.  They ask, “Why should our tax dollars be used to pick up after litterbugs?”

Read the full story

Let your voice be heard. Take the Patriot Ledger poll and show your opposition to expanding the bottle bill.

Take the poll by clicking here.

President of the Massachusetts Food Associations Chris Flynn, says on behalf of the supermarket and grocery industry, “[The bottle bill expansion] is going to cost a lot of money in order to absorb the additional

Residents claim the Massachusetts government is “anti-business” and “out of touch” because of their choice to expand the bottle bill.  While attempting to clean up the streets, residents have come up with their own ideas

It appears that the bottle bill is more about the money than it is about protecting the environment.

Paul McMorrow’s article cites a minimal increase in recycling rates and the soaring deposit costs as reasons why

Momentum builds as the 13 pending bills could potentially alter the state’s bottle deposit law.  One of these bills proposes to repeal 5-cent deposits altogether.  Some of the bills also would re-create the Clean Environment Fund

A July 22 editorial in the Boston Business Journal made the point that an expansion of the bottle bill “would create a dual burden on businesses and consumers, [and] begs for a stringent cost-benefit

Massachusetts has long held off on passing a 5-cent deposit to include additional beverage containers. The debate has gone on since 1983 when the original bottle bill was passed. Retailers and shop owners say

Merchants are strapped with paying more for expansion of 5-cent bottle deposit. Several Massachusetts state legislators are worried about what expanding the 5-cent bottle deposit could do to small businesses

Massachusetts Rep Bastien says bottle deposit’s usefulness has been surpassed. While many legislators and environmentalists are looking to expand the 5-cent deposit on bottled drinks as of late, some representatives like Richard Bastien,

At yesterday’s hearing regarding the new potential bottle bill, President of the Massachusetts Food Association Chris Flynn said,  “We don’t need to bribe people to do the right thing,” Cheney reported Flynn saying at

Today at the Statehouse, legislators are discussing 14 different bills dealing with the current bottle bill. One of them asks for a repeal of the law and the 13 others deal with the

Here we go again… lawmakers and environmental advocates are at a hearing today held at the State House about a bottle bill that is said to encourage more recycling and save on the cost of waste

In a personal op-ed piece in the Salem News, Jim Crosby elucidates his belief that expanding the bottle deposit law will not only hurt consumers, it will raise prices in an already weak economy.

A week after the passage of the state budget and promises of no new taxes, state legislators are looking to expand the 5-cent bottle deposit from carbonated beverages to include waters, juices, teas, and

Beverage industry officials are worried about not only the monetary, but sanitary problems, extending the 5-cent bottle deposit could create for supermarkets and bottle plants, NECN’s Pete Howe reported July 20.

Although many selectmen voted to support the expansion of the nickel deposit on beverages Bobbi Clark of 95.9 WATD reported July 20, Selectman Belinda Brewster did not. Brewster believes that

President of the Massachusetts Food Association Chris Flynn calls the bottle deposit system a “regressive tax system” that depends on the law to fail in order for the tax to be successful the Boston

Chris Flynn of the Massachusetts Food Association called legislators’ desire to expand the bottle bill a money grab that would still cost the state millions to upgrade and maintain deposit machines.

When 90 percent

Opponents to the recently proposed expansion of the 5-cent bottle deposit say they are worried an extra tax will drive up the cost of beverages when shoppers are already facing increasing prices at the supermarket,

While some state legislators believe expanding the bottle bill will raise revenue for Massachusetts, other groups predict expanding redemption centers and converting machines to accept different bottles may cost the

Higher prices and cost of converting deposit machines incurred by the potential expansion of the bottle tax was discussed on WHDH 7 News July 19. While all agreed they do and should recycle, the majority said they

BOSTON – Small businesses, unions, trade associations and citizens across Massachusetts today announced a coalition, Real Recycling for Massachusetts, in opposition to a costly and inefficient proposal that would expand the current five

In a Fox News media story highlighting the merits and demerits of the potential bottle bill, the overall consensus was that this new expanded bottle will actually harm more than help.

Please check back soon to hear about upcoming events.