Local bottle redemption center hoping state bottle bill will pass
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — Environmental advocates and bottle redemption center owners are pushing lawmakers to pass the Bigger, Better Bottle bill this legislative session.
The Bigger Better Bottle bill would expand the bottle deposit that has existed in the Empire State for more than 40 years.
'We're fighting with big companies like big distributors, and they got a lot of money to do a lot of things, but we don't. We are just a small business owner,' said Emily Lee, owner of Express Bottle Return in Syracuse.
If passed, the bill would increase bottle deposits from 5 to 10 cents. For bottle redemption centers, like Express Bottle Return, it would raise the handling fee to six cents.
'We're hanging, we're just waiting and waiting and waiting, hopefully one day our governor can pass the law to help us to continue our business,' said Lee.
But if the bill doesn't pass this time around, it could affect small business owners, like Lee.
'This is not an easy job, so we need manpower and if this law doesn't pass we just don't know how far we can still stay here,' said Lee.
The legislative session is set to end on June 17.
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