RuCo looks to weigh in on Bottle Bill on The Murfreesboro Post

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RuCo looks to weigh in on Bottle Bill

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By: MICHELLE WILLARD, Post Staff Writer

Posted: Tuesday, January 5, 2010 1:30 pm

The future of Tennessee’s Bottle Bill runs through Rutherford County on Thursday night.

The county Public Works Committee will consider putting its stamp of approval on the proposed "Tennessee Deposit Beverage Container Recycling Act,” which will place a 5-cent redeemable deposit on all beverage containers excluding beer and liquor.

According to the proposed legislation, the bill will encourage recycling and reduce litter on Tennessee’s roadways. The bill could increase recycling of Tennessee’s annual 4.3 billion bottles by 75 percent.

The proposed law would create the Deposit Beverage Container Fund, which will hold the 5-cent redeemable deposit.

The General Assembly Fiscal Review Committee estimates the fund would only cost $2 million to implement, but could increase state revenue by more than $8 million in the first year alone.

That is if bottles are redeemed at a rate of 68 percent, because unclaimed bottle deposits will support the fund.

County litter grants and programs will be funded out of the surplus and the taxes used the support such programs will no longer be collected.

Ten other Tennessee counties have endorsed the bill and Rutherford County will get a shot at it at the next regular Rutherford County Commission meeting.

Michelle Willard can be contacted at 615-869-0816 or mwillard@murfreesboropost.com.

Tagged under Bottle Bill, RuCo, State

Member Opinions:

By: biker on 1/5/10
Boooooooo!

By: Trvlace on 1/5/10
Not again....I almost cut off a finger working in a grocery store when we had that before....what a mess and time consuming too. Will make the price rise on the stuff too!

By: nick.sirius on 1/5/10
Finally! This is a great program. It's self funded almost immediately,and will take around 3 billion bottles out of the landfills and off the sides of the roads.

By: bornhere on 1/5/10
Seems like a good idea but why are beer and liquor the exception? Most beverage containers thrown out on road sides are beer cans and bottles (IMHO). It wouldn't be bad to put a 1.00 deposit on them and then maybe the "creeps" that pitch it out of their vehicle would have some kind of incentive not to. (Able to buy more). I think probably the beer and liquor lobbyists had lot more to do with it than any of our legislator's wisdom. Ah, the love of money....