Editor’s note: For details on the Massachusetts ballot questions, see Ballotpedia.org.
To the editor:
Voting “yes” on the Question 2 (the beverage container deposit law or “bottle bill”) will expand coverage of the current deposit law to include water, juice, sports drinks and other non-carbonated drink containers.
We recycle 80 percent of containers with deposits, but only 23 percent without deposits. The majority of these are plastic, which is over 90 percent petroleum-based. Boston Globe columnist Yvonne Abraham (“Bottle bill foes hope you buy in,” September 14) says, “Don’t fall for it, people,” referring to the ads opposing Question 2.
This law would keep billions upon billions of plastic bottles out of landfills (and oceans) is all about protecting you and Mother Earth. Massachusetts consumers buy 3.5 billion drinks in on-the-go containers each year. Only one-third of those are recycled—enough to fill Fenway Park. The types of drinks covered by this ballot question were not even around when the original bill was passed 32 years ago. Furthermore, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection found no difference in cost of beverages between states with expanded bottle deposit laws and those without.
The Boston Globe (“Advertisements with inaccurate data aid foes of wider bottle law,” October 3) says the $8 million in advertisements being paid for by the American Beverage Association and large supermarket chains about Question 2 include false statistics and claims. Specifically:
- Only 47 percent of cities and towns provide curbside recycling, not 90 percent as the ad claims.
- Non-deposit containers outnumber deposit containers 3 to1 in litter found in public parks even though they only make up 40 percent of the market.
- The majority of beverages covered by this expanded container deposit law are sold and consumed away from the home and thus have no recycling.
- 62 percent of voters supported Question 2 until the false advertisements started to run. Since the false ads started, support has dwindled to 33 percent.
Sincerely,
Gary Davis
20R Indian Camp Lane
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