Rep. Carol Hagan McEntee has introduced legislation aimed at incentivizing recycling statewide. Hagan McEntee鈥檚 legislation 鈥� described as a so-called 鈥渂ottle bill鈥� 鈥� would impose a 10-cent deposit on the purchase of each bottled or canned beverage. That deposit would then be refunded if the buyer opts to return the emptied beverage container.
鈥淭he simple truth is that our recycling system is broken and plastic waste is filling up our landfill to capacity and dirtying our streets and neighborhoods,鈥� Hagan McEntee said. 鈥淩hode Island鈥檚 recycling rate is a measly 26%, and we are polluting our beautiful state at an alarming rate.鈥�
Her legislation, which is based off of recommendations made by the Plastic Bottle Waste Commission, would also implement an extended producer responsibility policy to promote the recycling of packaging and printed paper. The policy specifically shifts the cost of recycling from cities and towns to the manufacturers, with those businesses being encouraged to create sustainable packaging that is easier to recycle.