As some readers may have heard, the MA Bottle Bill Amendment came close to passing after it was added to the recent Jobs Bill in the Senate. Unfortunately, it was cut on Monday, July 30th in Joint Conference Committee due to strong opposition in the House. This is despite having support of 77% of the public, 208 cities and towns, Governor Patrick, and the majority of legislators.
The expansion to the 31-year-old bill would have added water, juices, iced tea and sports drinks to the list of containers currently included in the 5-cent bottle deposit.
"Sadly it's becoming clearer that big business is dictating how Beacon Hill votes. The bottlers and other big beverage interests trumped the people, the environment and the facts on this one." ~ James McCaffrey of the Sierra Club
"Instead of Massachusetts taking home the gold medal, by disqualifying the public's opinion, the legislature gives us more litter, more waste, and less recycling." ~ Janet Domenitz of MASSPIRGYou can read more about the opposition in a previous entry posted here.
Surfrider MA Chapter has been and continues to be a supporter of the expansion of Massachusetts' most effective recycling program. We won't give up.
Back in 1982, MASSPIRG led the fight to pass the original Bottle Bill. That just happens to be the same year this song hit the radio waves:
If not, there is still a little time! Please visit the MA Bottle Bill petition here and help get it to a VOTE! Spread the word. Thank-you!
When you are trying to do good things, it can be pretty easy to focus on positive stuff. That is awesome and I like to keep things optimistic up here as much possible. But I want to also be in touch with the dark side so that I can be a smarter defender - not just an activist but a FACTivist. There are people out there who don't believe in re-usable water bottles. It's likely that they are good people who have been culturally conditioned to focus only on economics and job creation rather than imagining creative, sustainable ways to create more jobs and save the planet at the same time.
A few organizations work diligently to perpetuate that thinking, while others simply pull the wool over people's eyes by flashing their green-washed sustainability reports and "Earth Events" front and center. They stand in the way of people trying to create real change. The pro-plastic bag coalitions file lawsuits against cities and towns in order to keep plastic bags tax-free and acceptable. The bottling industry bullies down Bottle Bills and Bottle Bill Expansion efforts in order to keep things business-as-usual.
Listed below are companies opposed to Bag Bans and Bottle Bills. I wanted to create a window into that world - even if it is just for keeping tabs. It is scary (especially Save the Plastic Bag and Real Recycling in MA). Some of these coalitions have propaganda denying the evils of plastic, the existence of the plastic in the gyres and that it is killing marine life. There are links to each of the companies and twitter feeds for each. Obviously the customer-facing companies like Ocean Spray, Coca-cola, etc are just shiny happy marketing feeds but they are there anyways.
You can DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!
Join Surfrider, attend a chapter meeting, tell your friends, remember your reusable bags when shopping, drink water out of reusable bottles, encourage your loved ones to do the same, recycle any plastics that you come in contact with. Become a guardian of the earth - if others doubt your behavior just be patient and lead by example!
Learn more about the MA Bottle Bill and why it needs updating!
Because even though there is a lot of bad, there are still good people working hard to do good things. And change is happening despite the opposition. And it will continue to happen. Here are a couple.
Valentine's Day 2012 was the perfect occasion to show the Massachusetts Bottle Bill a little LOVE. And that is just what Surfrider MA did (along with MASSPIRG, The Massachusetts Sierra Club, and a list of about 45 other groups), by helping to deliver endorsements from 352 businesses to the Legislature in support of the Bottle Bill.
For over 10 years folks have been trying to get one of Massachusetts' most successful recycling programs updated to include the newer beverage bottles that have come on the market since it's enactment in 1983. These bottles include the multitudes of single-use plastic water bottles and energy drinks. Yes, the containers are recyclable but many are consumed "on-the-run" and do not end up making it to curbside recycling. Instead, they end up littering our cities, parks and, eventually, our oceans.
It is simple. If these bottles were redeemable, there would be plenty of people who would be happy to collect the bottles and get the deposit. Until producers step up and create more sustainable product, we need to take every measure possible to ensure that these containers do not become waste.
What some business owners are saying:
"This bill will eliminate a lot of plastic waste. It's a pretty basic idea and important as well. We get a refund on some bottles already. Why not all?"
- Kathy Ball, Textures Hair Studios, Fitchburg.
"We endorsed it because it’s good for the environment and the economy. It cuts down on the amount of solid waste and is just common sense."
- Sean, Copy Cat, Amherst.
"It just seems like the next logical step. If we can recycle some bottles we should be able to recycle all bottles."
- Matthew King, Food for Thought Book Store, Amherst.
Check out coverage of the Press Event:
Top editorial in the Boston Globe
For livelier debate over ideas, House must get bills on floor
Learn more about the MA Bottle Bill:
Bottle Bill @ MASSPIRG
