West Virginians use over 1 billion containers each year, the majority of which end up in landfills or along our highways.

This Act will:

• increase recycling rates
  
• reduce litter
  
• reduce landfill tonnage
  
• reduce the overall burden placed on taxpayers and municipal waste management systems
  
• save taxpayers money - West Virginia spends $3 million a year on litter clean-up
  
• reduce costs to West Virginia farmers for damage to crops and livestock caused by litter
  
• place the responsibility of beverage container recycling on the producers and consumers of the beverages instead of the state’s taxpayers.

This Act will:

• Likely create $25 million annually from unclaimed deposits that can be used to fund statewide recycling efforts.
  
• Require a fully refundable 10-cent deposit on single-use beverage containers including glass, plastic and aluminum.
  
• Allow West Virginia to join the other eleven bottle bill states whose legislation enjoys strong public support.
  
• Establish a statewide standard for beverage container reuse and recycling and ensure that beverage consumers in all regions of West Virginia enjoy access to beverage container reuse and recycling services.

Citizen and Community Support

Resolutions of support for this legislation have been passed in Charleston, Huntington, South Charleston, Morgantown, St. Albans, Fairmont, Addison, Athens, Harrison County and Fayette County. A statewide petition drive has already collected thousands of signatures in support of a West Virginia bottle bill.

Contact info:
Les Shoemaker, WV Farm Bureau
304-871-0885
[email protected]

Linda Mallet, WV Citizen Action Group
304-346-5891
[email protected]