May’s bottle bill legislation advances in state Senate

State Sen. Rachel May, D-Syracuse, has advanced her Bigger, Better Bottle Bill through the Environmental Conservation Committee, and said she has successfully advocated to have the bill included in the state Senate’s One-House Budget legislation. May’s office said the bill would create jobs, increase recycling, and reduce litter by adding carbonated beverages, wine, and liquor to the bottle list while raising the deposit from a nickel to a dime. “After 40 years, it’s time to modernize New York’s returnables law with my Bigger, Better Bottle Bill. When the original bottle bill was implemented in 1983, the variety of bottles we use was much narrower than today,” May said. “So, it only makes sense to add bottles to the list, making our communities cleaner and our recycling system more resilient by reducing waste. Increasing the deposit from a nickel to a dime will help incentivize the return of bottles, which will reduce litter, create jobs at redemption centers, and support community members who salvage bottles and cans for recycling. “The uncollected bottle deposits will go into New York’s successful environmental protection fund, which invests in many projects to help protect our environment,” she added. “I look forward to working with Governor (Kathy) Hochul and my colleagues in the Senate majority to make the Bigger, Better Bottle Bill a reality.”