Do you recycle your cans and bottles?

If the answer is no, would an extra 10 cents per bottle in your pocket encourage you to recycle more often?

These are two big questions when considering the bill that is currently being considered by state legislature which, if passed, would require returnable beverage containers to be used in New Jersey and create an incentive program to encourage New Jerseyans to recycle their containers.

The bill called the Beverage Container Deposit Act was introduced in the Senate and referred to the Senate Environment and Energy Committee on May 6. Its two primary sponsors are Sens. Raj Mukherji and Andrew Zwicker. Sen. Bob Smith is the co-sponsor for this bill.

Here is everything you need to know about New Jersey's bottle bill and how recycling empty containers could impact you in the future.

The Beverage Container Deposit Act

This bill entitled the Beverage Container Deposit Act, as described by the NJ Legislature website, "requires use of returnable beverage containers in NJ and establishes deposit and refund system to facilitate return of such containers to manufacturers for reuse or proper disposal."

If the bill makes its way through the legislative process and is signed into law, two years after the bill's enactment every filled beverage container sold or offered for sale in New Jersey would need to be a returnable container, have a refund value of 10 cents when empty and be clearly identified by a stamp, label or other mark that declares the name of the state and the container's refund value.

Qualifying containers under this law would include bottles, cans, cartons, pouches or aseptic packaging such as juice boxes made from glass, plastic, cardboard, paper or metal.

Any distributor or seller in New Jersey who does not follow these requirements could be subject to fines between $100 and $1,000 for each day of violation in addition to a restitution payment equal to the loss resulting from the violation.

Deposit and refund program

Upon the enactment of this bill, when a retailer, such as a grocery or convenience store purchases beverages from a distributor, they will pay a 10-cent deposit for each container that they purchase. Then, the customer will also pay an extra 10 cents per container when they purchase the beverage from the retailer.

When the container is empty the customer can return it to a store, supermarket or other redemption center where they will be reimbursed 10 cents for each returned, qualifying container.

For example, if you purchase a six pack of soda during your shopping trip you would pay an extra 60 cents for it. You could then return the empty soda cans back to the seller and be reimbursed the 60 cents. Stores may place a limit of $25 on the amount that a single person can be issued in container refunds in one day.

Then the grocery store, convenience store, or other seller can return the containers back to the distributor and be reimbursed their original deposit.

The distributor will then be required to return the empty containers to the manufacturer for reuse, recycling, or proper disposal.

Ten other states have similar programs

New Jersey is not the first state to propose this type of bottle bill as 10 other states already have similar programs in place. These states include California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Oregon and Vermont.

The deposit amounts in these states range from two cents to 15 cents depending on the type of beverage and the container's volume.

These laws are designed to "reduce litter and capture bottles, cans, and other containers for recycling," according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

According to a bottle bill fact sheet by Clean Water Action, bills such as this one can have numerous benefits including an increase in recycling, saving energy and reducing toxins.

"A 10-cent deposit on most beverage containers, including water, soft drinks, sports drinks, juice, beer, and wine would save New Jersey energy, prevent litter, keep recyclable materials out of our landfills and incinerators, and save taxpayers money in waste management," said Clean Water Action. "New Jersey should be a leader and join this group with the best Deposit Return System."

This is not the first time that New Jersey lawmakers have considered this type of bill. A previous bill entitled the Smart Container Act was reviewed for five legislative sessions between 2008 and 2016.

While these bills do have a lot of supporters, there are also people and organizations who do not support them such as the New Jersey Food Council who came out in opposition to the original Smart Container Act stating that it would be wasteful and expensive, disrupt solid waste management programs, and more.

Courtesy : Northjersey.com