Bill textIn addition to a bill to expand New York's deposit law, which has been introduced almost every year since 1995, this year also features a bill reducing the number of redemption centers required in stores, and another changing the requirements for beverage companies that use refillable bottles.
| Bill Number and Name | S 3496 Bill text |
|---|---|
| Primary Sponsor | Senator Grisanti |
| Containers Covered | Refillable bottles |
According to Laura Haight of NYPIRG:
This legislation is being pushed by Sam Adams, which claims to be the only beer company in NY truly dedicated to using refillable bottles. ...
This makes sense, because refillable bottles cost more to produce, and when they are not returned the bottler must replace them with new ones. It is possible that this small incentive might encourage other bottlers to use refillable bottles in New York, esp. some of the microbreweries. There are still some refillable soda bottles sold in New York as well, such as College Club Beverages in Rochester.
February 23, 2011: Referred to Environmental Conservation
March 8, 2011: Reported and committed to Finance
| Bill Number and Name | A 3630 Bill text |
|---|---|
| Sponsors | Englebright |
| Beverages Covered | Add fruit juices, ice tea beverages, milk, wine and liquor |
This bill expands the deposit law to cover fruit juices, iced tea, milk, wine, and liquor. It also defines a beverage container as a container which can be refilled at least 25 times.
While the campaign to expand New York's deposit law has been ongoing for over a decade, a new development this year is the amendment of the state's solid waste plan to support the expansion effort. Specifically stated, "To support enhanced materials recovery and revenue generation, DEC will advance proposed legislation to expand the Returnable Container Law to include all beverage containers."1
| Bill Number and Name | S 2877 Bill text |
|---|---|
| Sponsors | Sen. GRISANTI |
Under New York's existing law, chain stores above 40,000 square feet are required to operate a certain number of reverse vending machines proportional to their size. This bill clarifies that only square footage dedicated to sales and display counts toward this requirement. It generally reduces the number of machines required for each size bracket. Also describes additional circumstances by which a store can be exempt from the requirement.
February 2, 2011: Referred to Environmental Conservation
March 8, 2011: Reported and committed to Commerce, Economic Development, and Small Business
1. Source: Excerpt from solid waste management plan. "10.1.4 Expand the Returnable Container Law." Courtesy of Laura Haight