Bill textSenate Bill S1650
| Bill Number and Name | House Bill 890 Bill text Senate Bill S1650 |
|---|---|
| Sponsors | Rep. Alice K. Wolf, Sen. Cynthia Creem |
| Beverages Covered | Expanded to include all nonalcoholic drinks except milk and dairy beverages, and FDA approved medicines. |
| Containers Covered | Excludes paper-based biodegradable containers and aseptic containers (the current law excludes all biodegradable containers and does not specifically mention aseptic containers) |
| Deposits | 5¢ |
| Handling Fees | Increased from 2¼¢ to 3¼¢ and made subject to semi-annual review to account for redemption centers' operating costs. |
| Unredeemed Deposits | Forfeited deposits are currently turned over to the state. The bill would dedicate the forfeited deposits to recycling and environmental programs. |
The most significant change that this bill makes to Massachusetts' deposit law is to add all noncarbonated beverages (except dairy and medicines).
Additionally, the bill makes several changes to the current law for clarification purposes. These changes are:
Re-establishes the "Clean Environment Fund." used to support recycling, solid waste reduction, and composting programs as well as other environmental programs.
With continued lack of action from legislature on the bill, deposit proponents took preliminary steps to introduce the update as a ballot initiative. However, on September 22, the Campaign for an Updated Bottle Bill announced that they had enlisted the support of a majority of legislators, and would be dropping the ballot initiative.
February 13, 2011: Introduced
February 15, 2011: Referred to Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy.
July 20, 2011: Joint Hearing held
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Phil Sego
Sierra Club
617-423-5775
[email protected]
Janet Domenitz
MASSPIRG
617-292-4800
[email protected]
Jack Clarke
Mass Audubon
617-962-5187
[email protected]