NEW YORK (WBEN) - Yesterday, the governor announced a proposal to make most non-alcoholic bottles eligible for a 5-cent redemption.
"Since Governor Mario Cuomo enacted the Solid Waste Management Act 30 years ago, New York recycling laws have helped reduce waste in communities across the state," said Andrew Cuomo. "Under the Act, local municipalities adopted local recycling laws requiring source separation of recyclable, which have diverted more than 320 million tons of recyclables from disposal, reducing 1 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide in the process by decreasing methane emissions from landfills and reducing energy and fossil fuel use associated with the production of plastics and glass."
The expansion of returnable bottles will also create less confusion, according to Glenn Davis, who serves as the manager of Buffalo's Best Bottle & Can Return. Davis says it's very common to have customers who have no idea which items are eligible to be brought in for redemption.
"Daily, yeah a lot of people bring in the Gatorades, and the Arizona teas, the Liptons and all that stuff," said Davis. "We have to weed it out, and we always make them aware that these aren't returnable, and then we recycle those separately."
Davis says the proposal still doesn't include ciders like Mayer Brothers or Angry Orchards, or milk jugs. Regardless, Davis believes the expansion is another step in a positive direction, generally speaking.
"I think it's definitely good," he said. "It's going to get more things that end up in fills being recycled properly. When people bring in their non-return to us, we make sure they go back to the company that picks up from all of us to be recycled. They're getting recycled either way at least on our end, but it's going to keep a lot more plastic and aluminum stuff out of the trash."
He also noted that it's certainly going to be a money grab for the state, but at least it's an environmentally conscious one.
"Really, it's going to generate more money for Cuomo in the long-run because of the 20-whatever-percent that still aren't redeeming their bottles," said Davis. "At least, out of all the different things they always do, I think this is one of the better ways to do it."
