New Proposal Aims to Establish Council for Advancing 'Bottle Bill' Research
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — House Speaker Joseph Shekarchi and Senate President Valarie Lawson have thrown their support behind a proposal to create a statewide needs assessment council, which would be tasked with developing a bottle redemption and recycling plan.
The legislation would amend the proposal already introduced by Rep. Carol Hagan McEntee, whose goal is to incentivize recycling statewide.
Hagan McEntee’s legislation — described as a so-called “bottle bill” — would impose a 10-cent deposit on the purchase of each bottled or canned beverage. That deposit would then be refunded if the buyer opts to return the emptied beverage container.
Her proposal, which is based off of recommendations made by the Plastic Bottle Waste Commission, would also implement an extended producer responsibility policy to promote the recycling of packaging and printed paper.
The policy would specifically shift the cost of recycling from cities and towns to the manufacturers, with those businesses being encouraged to create sustainable packaging that is easier to recycle.
The amended legislation would allow the R.I. Department of Environmental Management (DEM) to hire an independent third-party consultant with relevant expertise to conduct an assessment with input from local key stakeholders.
The council, made up of the DEM, the Department of Administration and the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation, would then be tasked with reviewing that report, as well as providing guidance and suggested recommendations to the R.I. General Assembly no later than December 2026.
“We thank all the members of the joint House and Senate commission for their dedicated service in studying this issue for many months,” Shekarchi and Lawson said in a statement. “There is still a great deal of conflicting data as to the implementation of best practices to address the problems of improving and disposing of our recyclable products, as well as enhancing our anti-littering efforts.”
“We believe it would be in the best interests of Rhode Islanders to conduct a needs assessment, as other states that have adopted programs have done,” the lawmakers continued, adding that they have “full faith” that the council will determine “the best approaches and costs to address this important environmental issue.”
The “Stop the Rhode Island Bottle Tax” coalition , which is made up of small retailers, liquor stores, labor unions and beverage distributors, expressed its concern with the amended legislation.
“Rhode Islanders deserve an innovative recycling system, like those adopted recently by other states, that raises recycling rates without raising the costs on hundreds of everyday beverages,” the coalition explained in a statement. “The amended legislation leaves the door open to a new tax on beverages that Rhode Island working families and local small businesses have spoken out against because it will raise costs that hurt family budgets and decrease sales and jobs.”
Save the Bay advocacy coordinator Jed Thorp told 12 News he feels as though the amended proposal put forth by Shekarchi and Lawson is “a little bit of a delay tactic.”
“I’m not wild about it, but it’s probably better than nothing,” he said.
“That commission met for 18 months and this is what they came up with,” Thorp said, referring to the Plastic Bottle Waste Commission. “I think we had a good bill already. I’m not sure how much more we’re going to learn from this.”
The amended legislation put forth by Shekarchi will be considered by the R.I. House Environment and Natural Resources Committee on Wednesday. The R.I. Senate Environment and Agriculture Committee is expected to take a closer look at Lawson’s companion legislation that same day.
Download the WPRI 12 and Pinpoint Weather 12 apps to get breaking news and weather alerts.
Watch 12 News Now on WPRI.com or with the new 12+ smart TV app .
Follow us on social media:
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WPRI.com.
Post a Comment for "New Proposal Aims to Establish Council for Advancing 'Bottle Bill' Research"
Post a Comment