TN Bottle Bill Dies In Committee

The Tennessean is reporting that the Bottle Deposit Legislation proposed by Rep. Russell Johnson has been voted down in committee. Another defeat in TN. We look forward to the next seesion. Next time this issue will pass! The campaign was gaining more and more momentum as it went along. Kudos to Marge Davis and the Tennessee Bottle Bill Project. Keep up the great work.

Two comments on this campaign:
1. It is shameful that a room full of Democrats will not stand up and vote for this bill. If the Democrats continue to say that the Republicans are friends of business and they are on the side of the environment then the Democrats can't vote this way. Who will pick up the gauntlet? Will they be a Democrat or Republican?
2. I wish I could have been there at the meeting to boo the no votes! Or maybe it would have been fun to have everybody bring one of those Homer Simpson bottle openers and every time someone voted no we could all have Homer Simpson saying, "Hmmmmmm.... Beer!.. Glug, Glug, Glug... Yippie!"

Thanks again to all in TN that supported this project. Please look for more information at: TNBottleBill.Org
and The Tennessee Bottle Bill Blog

CT Considers Adding Water Bottles To Bottle Bill

The Connecticut (CT) legislature is considering adding water bottles to that state's bottle deposit legislation. This article in the Norwich Bulletin gives an accurate portrayal of the situation in that state. It seems that the bottling industry is rolling out the same "recycled" arguments to attempt to stop this expansion.

Demand For Plastic Projected To Rise Through 2010

Recycling Today has an article about a report which was recently released telling of the projected rise in plastic use in the US through 2010. The report predicts that PET plastic will take over as the #1 plastic by 2010 with HPDE plastic still holding 43% of the market. Overall they predict a 4.6% rise per year in the use of plastic.

This could mean that we will have a 4.6% increase per year in the amount of plastic litter as well.

Check out the numbers yourself at Recycling Today.

Expansion of NY Bottle Bill Urged By Syracuse Community Groups

An article in the Syracuse Post Standard discusses why clean ups aren't the answer to the litter problem. Community groups that deal with litter in their neighborhoods everyday see expanding the bill to include water bottles and other containers not in the current bill as the first best step to reducing litter.

You can read the article at the Syracuse Post Standard.

Letter to the Editor in Albany Times Union RE: NY Bigger, Better, Bottle Bill

Letter to the Editor in Albany Times Union. I pulled one quote I like in particular:

"We have curbside recycling now. It's just that we have people unable to locate the bin or they can't hit it at 65 mph."

Check out the letter yourself at: Letter to the Editor at Albany Times Union

Republican Former Michigan Governor Honored for Environmental Efforts

This article is about former Michigan Governor William Milliken. Governor Milliken first attempted to pass a bottle bill in Michigan while he was governor and later campaigned for the bottle bill during the referendum. William and his wife Helen will be honored April 21 at the Northern Michigan Environmental Action Council's annual Environmentalist of the Year Celebration. Governor Milliken is a great example of a Republican politician that made a stand against many in his party for the sake of the environment. Read more at this article in the Traverse City Record-Eagle.

Hearing on Tennessee Bottle Bill will be April 19

The latest on the proposed Tennessee Bottle Bill.

On Wednesday, April 19, from 9 to 10 am in House Hearing Room 30, the 2006 bottle bill will be the subject of a one-hour hearing before the Local Government Subcommittee of the House State and Local Government Committee. Rep. Russell Johnson will have 20 minutes to make the case for a bottle bill; the opposition will have 20 minutes to explain why they think a bottle bill will be a bad idea; and the legislators will have 20 minutes to ask questions.

Marge Davis, executive director of the Tennessee Bottle Bill Project, is looking for supporters of the bottle bill to come out to the Hearing to show support for this legislation. Check out the Tennessee Bottle Bill Project website for more information.

Dr. Davis believes that if the legislation can make it out of this committee it has a good chance of passing.

Charlie The Recycling Man

Charlie, the "recycling man", collects recyclables in Vancouver and donates the money to charity. Another example of how a bottle bill can benefit the community. Check out the article here.

Article about Expanding Vermont Bottle Bill

An article at Vermont PIRG discusses the proposed expansion of the bottle bill in Vermont. Also has quotes from Senator Jeffords about his proposed National Bottle Bill. Here is the link.

Editorial In NC News & Observer Calling for Bottle Bill

There is an editorial in the New & Observer in Raleigh calling for Bottle Deposit Legislation for North Carolina. It seems that after they ran an article about litter in the state that the editors came to the conclusion that the first, and most effective, step to take to combat litter would be to enact a deposit on bottles and cans. Here is the article.


Here is the article they ran about litter in NC.