Healthy Communities In The News

Bottle law: A nickel saved is a nickel earned Massachusetts should raise a glass to its neighbor to the south. Connecticut Governor Jodi Rell signed an expansion of that state's bottle law this week to include a 5-cent deposit on bottled water. It's a win-win for the environment and the economy, since the state budget stands to reap $13 million in unredeemed deposits known as "escheatage." In Massachusetts, the estimated escheatage from a 5-cent deposit on the billion-plus bottled water, juice, and sports drinks now exempt from the charge could raise an estimated $58 million. Maine already includes water bottes in its deposit law, saving money and eliminating mountains of trash. Goveror Patrick's proposal to expand the bottle law already is a good idea in its own right, but now it has some more company.