Bigger Better Bottle Bill Passed

Water bottles will now have return deposits in the New York after Gov. David Patterson passed a revised “Bottle Bill” on Tuesday.

The new “Bottle Bill” is part of 2009-2010 state budget and will begin taking effect in June.

The orignal “Bottle Bill” created in 1982 only offered five cent deposits for only carbonated beverages, wine coolers, and beer.

One of the bills top supporters, New York Public Interest Research Group, was also pushing for the inclusion of sports drinks, fruit drinks, and iced tea, but they were not passed into law.

Environmentalists and advocates for the “bottle bills” promote returnable containers because it creates an incentive to recycle and reduces litter.

Beverage manufactuers and distribution companies like Cocoa Cola opposed the bill and created ad campaign to fight it going into law. They claim the only significant result of bottle bills are increases on the prices of the bevarages being sold.