Janeway praises expanded bottle bill

NEW PALTZ – The new law that expands the nickel deposit to water bottles and other non-carbonated beverages took effect Monday.

State Department of Environmental Conservation officials say that will reduce the amount of litter here in the Hudson Valley, while also generating extra revenue for the state.

According to DEC regional director Willie Janeway, speaking at the agency’s New Paltz offices, the expanded Bigger Better Bottle Bill will build upon the 70 percent reduction in litter already achieved by the original bottle bill by applying the five cent deposit upon return to water bottles.

Roughly 80 percent of bottles that have a five cent deposit get recycled, Janeway said, while only 17 percent get reclaimed or returned and recycled without the nickel deposit.

 Janeway noted that in addition to significantly reducing the amount of litter right here in the Hudson Valley, the uncollected deposit if a bottle is not returned will go directly to the state generating millions of dollars for environmental programs, land acquisitions, clean water, and clean air work.

Scenic Hudson Director of Public Policy Andy Bicking said the deposit will reduce the total litter stream along the Hudson River by about 12 percent.

He explained that litter surveys done by Scenic Hudson from 2001 to 2003 show that water bottles make up 12 percent of all litter found and 2/3 of all beverage litter. “We know through these studies that the redeemable beverage containers, the beer and the soda, were not as well represented in our public parks,” he said. “By creating that incentive in the deposit we make it so that the bottled waters are more likely to be redeemed.”