Bottle bill dies in Colorado

A bill introduced in the Colorado Assembly that would have created a container deposit program for glass or plastic beverage containers in the state has died in committee.

Republicans in the House Committee on State, Veterans & Military Affairs weren't impressed by House Bill 1247 and voted to postpone action on it indefinitely, effectively killing the proposed five-cent deposit on covered beverage containers. Citing both the recent scandal in California, where residents of nearby states were caught trying to defraud the system by redeeming containers in California for deposit, as well as a classic episode of Seinfeld, in which Kramer and Newman similarly try to take advantage of Michigan's 10 cent deposit, House Republicans in Colorado argued the bill would have been a drain on Colorado's budget and would "likely eviscerate current recycling programs, hinder business owners and could make the state vulnerable to actions taken by characters from Seinfeld," according to Rep. Larry Liston (R-Colorado Springs).

Had it been successful, HB 1247 would have gone into effect this fall and required bottle distributors to register with the state and required the construction of a network of redemption centers. Coloradoans would have been able to start redeeming containers in 2013. The bill would also have created a beverage container redemption fund from unredeemed deposits, where 10 percent would have gone to fund recycling economic opportunities (grants to communities and businesses), 40 percent would have helped fund K-12 education, and the remainder would have funded recycling education in Colorado.

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