Latest news with #SavetheBay
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
A bottle bill deserves to pass the R.I. General Assembly. Here's why beverage brands think so.
Bottles and cans to be redeemed at a recycling center in New York City are shown. (Photo by) Rhode Island has a major opportunity to modernize and reform its recycling system with two common-sense bills currently before the legislature. H6207 sponsored by Rep. Carol Hagan McEntee, a South Kingstown Democrat, and S 996, sponsored by Sen. Mark McKenney, a Warwick Democrat, would establish a modern Deposit Return System – a.k.a. 'A bottle bill' – and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging. EPR essentially requires producers of packaging to fund a program for collecting and recycling discarded packaging to help minimize their environmental impact. Together, these proven policies would reduce litter, cut costs for the consumer, and build a cleaner environment. As the legislative debate continues, it's clear that momentum is growing for recycling reform — not just among environmental advocates and local leaders, but within the private sector as well. Environmental champions like Save the Bay and Clean Water Action strongly support these initiatives. And you might be surprised to learn that the beverage industry does too. Many beverage companies see a combined bottle bill and EPR system as a smart, forward-looking solution to address flaws with the way we handle recycling. Rhode Island's recycling rate is stuck at just 26%. In Providence, it's worse — recycling rates hover in the single digits, and nearly 650 pounds of recyclables per household are rejected each year due to contamination. That adds up to over 121,000 tons of collected recyclable material per year that the city pays $1.14 million to dispose of in the Central Landfill in Johnston, which is projected to run out of room in about 20 years. This represents both wasted resources and missed economic opportunity. We can — and must — do better. Leading beverage companies who are part of the Coalition for High Performance Recycling (CHPR) agree. A growing number of beverage companies are publicly endorsing recycling reform in Rhode Island. These companies understand there's a clear business case for the industry to support and fund improved recycling systems. A reliable, domestic supply of recycled materials is essential for both short- and long-term success. Brands can no longer rely on volatile global markets, unstable geopolitics, or imported raw materials to meet their production needs. Companies need a steady, local stream of recycled material — so that each can and bottle can be recycled into new cans and bottles. Who belongs to CHPR ? Primo Brands — whose trusted brands include Poland Spring and Saratoga. Other participating beverage and bottling companies are Diageo North America,whose brands include Guinness and Johnnie Walker New Belgium Brewing Company; Niagara Bottling; and Red Bull. As Primo Brands recently testified at the Rhode Island State House in support of a modern bottle bill and EPR, 'we need a greater supply of recycled materials, and we need it to be domestic.' A growing number of beverage companies are publicly endorsing recycling reform in Rhode Island. These companies understand there's a clear business case for the industry to support and fund improved recycling systems. The current domestic recycling system doesn't get the job done. One reason is that curbside recyclables are lumped into one single, albeit convenient, system. That inevitably leads to contamination, which reduces the value of the recycled products and the ability to turn them into food grade material. Another problem is that people are not sufficiently educated and incentivized to recycle. A modern bottle bill with an extended producer responsibility policy together provides an environmental improvement strategy and improves consumer education and recycling. Plus, they're smart, complementary business strategies that support stable, domestic supply chains that produce higher-quality recycled materials and help keep costs down for the consumer. Rhode Island can become a national model for high-performance recycling. By passing H6207 and S996 — a modern bottle bill plus EPR — the state can significantly reduce litter, pollution, and waste, protect its natural beauty and resources, and create a more circular, resilient, and sustainable economy and environment. We need to tune out the scare tactics and outdated talking points of industry opponents and support recycling reform for Rhode Island. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
RI lawmakers debate multiple Coastal Resources Management Council reform bills
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Some state legislators want to restructure the council that oversees Rhode Island's coastline, but there's a debate over how it should be reformed. The Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) was created in the early 1970s. According to its website, the council is responsible for the 'preservation, protection, development and where possible the restoration of the coastal areas of the state' through policy development, planning and permitting. It also manages public access to those areas. The state agency is made up of 10 volunteer members appointed by the governor, who currently include a lawyer, a podiatric surgeon and a mandatory representative from the R.I. Department of Environmental Management (DEM). LEARN MORE: What is the CRMC? A bill proposed by state Rep. John G. Edwards, D-Tiverton, would replace CRMC with the Division of Coastal Resources Management, which would operate under DEM. 'Many of the issues that have plagued CRMC for years — chronic delays in making simple permitting decisions, lack of members and frequent missed/cancelled meetings, and the increasing number of flawed decisions being overturned by the courts — are caused by CRMC's politically-appointed board,' Edwards said in a press release. The council hasn't had a full 10 members since 2019. Currently, it only has six seats filled, which is the minimum needed for a quorum, state Sen. Victoria Gu, D-Westerly, noted during a senate hearing last week. RELATED: Save the Bay accuses CRMC of power abuse for canceling controversial seawall meetings In the meantime, members of the Senate Committee on Environment & Agriculture are proposing a different way to reform the CRMC. State Sen. Mark McKenney, D-Warwick, introduced Bill 775, which would change the council's structure and operation. Under his proposal, the CRMC would remain its own entity, with a setup similar to DEM. However, the nine politically appointed members would be removed and decision-making power would be shifted to a cabinet-level director who answers to the governor. Advocates, including the R.I. Attorney General's Office, nonprofit Save the Bay, and former CRMC members were present at last week's hearing to voice their support. Gu said she believes that allocating more budgetary resources to the CRMC is critical in the face of ongoing environmental issues. 'Future permitting and planning decisions by the CRMC or the Department of Coastal Resources will absolutely need to take into account the best science we have on sea level rise and beach erosion,' Gu explained. 'A professionalized agency will have the expertise to make these difficult decisions and help preserve our shoreline amidst rising seas and stronger storms.' MORE: RI Beach Erosion Commission considering solutions as state loses 2 feet of land each year Edwards agrees that CRMC needs more structure, but told 12 News that having the agency work within DEM would save money and prevent overlap. CRMC is a quasi-state entity, meaning it can perform government functions, but is not directly part of state government. 'Most quasis exist only because of their ability to bond outside of the state's financial obligations,' Edwards said. 'CRMC does not have any bonds nor do they anticipate applying for any in the future.' Edwards' bill, which would take effect upon passage, has already been referred to the House State Government and Elections Committee, which is expected to review the legislation this week. McKenney's bill was held for further study. Laura Dwyer, spokesperson for the CRMC, declined to comment on the proposed legislation. Download the and apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch or with the new . Follow us on social media: Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Save the Bay poll finds majority of Rhode Islanders back a bottle bill
A crushed, discarded empty bottle of water occupies a patch of grass on Smith Street in Providence, not far from the Rhode Island State House. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current) More than half of Rhode Islanders support a bottle bill to create a recycling deposit program, according to survey results shared Friday by Save the Bay. The 10-page report is based on a poll of 400 registered Rhode Island voters conducted by research firm The Mellman Group in February via phone and text. Surveyors asked participants if they would support a 10-cent deposit on all beverages in recyclable containers. About 55% supported the measure, 36% did not, and 9% weren't sure. After survey takers heard arguments both for and against the legislation, favorable responses rose to 58% and unfavorable responses fell to 31%. 'These poll results show that Rhode Islanders support the adoption of a bottle bill and that they're likely to return their empty containers once a system is in place,' said Jed Thorp, Save the Bay's director of advocacy, in a statement. A bottle bill lets states levy an additional surcharge on certain drink purchases, usually between five and 10 cents per bottle or can, that is then returned to the consumer if they return the empties to a curbside or standalone recycling center. Overall, 10 states have bottle bills, each of which does things a little differently in regards to refunds, availability of recycling locations and beverages covered by the law. Only beer, soda and seltzer qualify for the rebate in Massachusetts, while in Maine everything but dairy and cider are subject to the bottle fee. A bottle bill has not yet been introduced in the State House this year, but an 18-member special commission has been studying how to reduce plastic bottle waste since 2023. Its co-chair, Rep. Carol Hagan McEntee, a South Kingstown Democrat, did not see her bottle bill pass last year. The beverage and retail industry denounced it despite McEntee, who also chairs the Rhode Island House Committee on Small Business, designing the proposed law to be as permissible as possible. The plastic waste commission meets on Monday and is expected to share the fruit of its nearly two-year investigation: A final report that will have recommendations for how to best proceed with a bottle bill. The report was supposed to have been completed last June, but was not finished in time, said House spokesman Larry Berman. The first state to authorize a bottle refund program was Oregon, in 1971, and the most recent state to pass a bottle bill was Hawaii, in 2002. Only one state, Delaware, has ever enacted and then repealed a bottle bill. The statute for a five-cent refundable deposit had been in place for 28 years before it was nullified in 2010, and then replaced with a four-cent, nonrefundable fee that's then fed into state recycling costs. Massachusetts residents have been able to collect refunds when recycling empty soda and beer cans since 1982, and Connecticut enacted its bottle bill even earlier, in 1978. The two states also had the lowest recycling rates of programs nationwide in 2023, according to stats from the Container Recycling Institute, with Massachusetts at 36% and Connecticut at 43%. Massachusetts also had the lowest percentage, 41%, of beverages covered by the deposit. The trendsetting Oregon program had an 87% recycling rate, the highest nationwide. Most states with bottle redemption programs had over 60% recycling rates in 2023. 'The problems of beverage container litter and plastic pollution are only getting worse,' said McEntee in a statement released with Save the Bay's survey results. 'Based on what we've heard during the study commission, I believe we can come up with a bottle bill system that will help our environment while not being a burden to businesses or consumers.' The survey found that environmental worries were a major driver of the desire for a bottle bill, with 85% of respondents concerned about shoreline litter. The state landfill nearing capacity was a concern for 73% of respondents. Another 71% of respondents believed Rhode Island's recycling system is 'not working.' 'Rhode Islanders are tired of seeing single-use beverage containers littering our streets and our shoreline,' Thorp said in a statement. Last year, volunteers working with Save the Bay on coastal cleanup efforts picked up 114,914 pieces of trash, of which 25,276 pieces were disposable drink containers. That may be unsurprising, given the Ocean State's not-so-ocean-friendly amount of litter: Stroll down most sidewalks in Rhode Island and you're bound to find some empty bottles, soda cans, or nips, like the ubiquitous empties of the cinnamon-flavored alcohol Fireball. And only about a third of the recyclable bottles and cans are actually recycled in the state, according to 2023 data from the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation, the quasi-public agency that runs the state landfill in Johnston. The availability of dedicated return centers affected respondents' willingness to use the program: 57% said they would probably participate, compared to 52% who would if there were no return centers. People who didn't think they would participate comprised 38% of respondents with redemption centers in place, but 47% said they were not likely to use the program if no dedicated return centers existed. The research group also broke down the responses into demographics including educational attainment, gender, age, location and political affiliation. Democrats and unaffiliated voters largely affirmed a redemption program, with 64% of 60% respectively, in support. The lowest rate of support came from registered Republicans, of whom only 38% supported the bottle bill after hearing both sides of the argument. But GOP voters were also swayed: Only 25% of Republicans said they supported the bill before hearing the arguments. There was also a gender gap in support: After hearing both sides, 69% of women supported a bottle bill, while only 47% of men did Respondents heard arguments for and against a bottle bill and redemption program. The arguments respondents heard from surveyors are reproduced below, as each was quoted in the report. Pro: 'Supporters say this is a proven way to reduce litter in our streets, shorelines and waterways and fix our recycling system. Other states have been doing this for decades – including Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York – and have 70% less beverage container litter. They also have much higher recycling rates of nearly 90%, while most of our containers end up in our landfill, which is nearing capacity. This is a proven way to fix the problems before they get worse.' Con: 'Opponents say that this proposal will burden working families because it's essentially a tax, increasing the cost of a 12-pack of soda by $1.20. Returning bottles will be particularly difficult for those in rural areas, the elderly, and those with disabilities. This proposal would also hurt Rhode Island's small businesses by incentivizing consumers to travel across state lines to buy beverages. We don't need another tax that could increase costs and hurt our economy.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Over 200 participants take part in the 2025 Shamrock Splash
Shiver me timbers! On a cold, sunny day, over 200 people took part in this year's 15th annual Shamrock Splash. The event took place at noon at East Boston's Constitution Beach, where divers plunged into the icy cold water. The event raises money for the Save the Harbor/Save the Bay's Better Beaches Grant Program. Participants, or splashes as the fundraiser calls them, were treated to free drinks and warm food after swimming, thanks to their partners at Sam Adams, Downeast, Dogfish Head, Topo Chico, Goldpeak, The Daily Catch, and Bono. Splashers were also encouraged to wear costumes; as the fundraiser puts it, 'the zanier the better'. Winners of the costume contest and the biggest fundraisers will win free JetBlue roundtrip flights to any destination. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
Yahoo
30-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Quidnessett seawall proposal rejected, but attorney general says reform is needed
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — The Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) said it is now expecting a plan from Quidnessett Country Club in North Kingstown to tear down its controversial seawall. This, after the council rejected a proposal Tuesday that would have allowed the wall to stay. While environmentalists and R.I. Attorney General Peter Neronha believe the decision was the right move, they said the council shouldn't have considered the country club's proposal in the first place. 'The council is infamous in its delay and time-consuming processes, which are very political,' said Topher Hamblett, executive director of Save the Bay. 'This is one of the many reasons why we need to get rid of the council.' In September, 12 News spoke with Quidnessett Country Club's Janice Mathews about the 600-foot wall. She said they had tried to follow the CRMC's guidance for years, but after a bad storm in December 2022, the country club decided to build a seawall without the CRMC's permission because it was losing its property to erosion. 'The last 30 years we've lost over 47 feet,' she said. 'We have to move the 14th fairway to the point where we can't move it anywhere else.' The country club declined to comment on Tuesday's decision. BACKGROUND: RI country club asks state to remove restrictions on illegally built sea wall Hamblett said seawalls can pose several problems because they can be detrimental to the environment, block access to the coastline and can make erosion worse for neighbors. On Tuesday, the CRMC rejected a proposal from the country club to change the property's water type, which currently limits construction because it abuts conservation land, falling in line with the council's expert recommendations made last year. Hamblett said the decision comes after nearly two years of delays and accused the council of dragging out a response. MORE: Save the Bay accuses CRMC of power abuse for canceling controversial seawall meetings The attorney general said this controversy is an example of a broader problem he has with the council, as it continues to deal with the growing effects of climate change. For roughly three years, Neronha has been advocating for legislation that would require experts to mange the organization, rather than the governor's appointees. However, reform legislation has failed to pass the General Assembly. 'The governor should be championing this legislation,' Neronha said. 'He's ultimately responsible for the work that gets done to protect Rhode Islanders and the environment.' Spokespeople for House Speaker Joseph Shekarchi and Senate President Dominick Ruggerio said both leaders are open to considering legislation. The CRMC declined to comment on the proposed reform. Governor Dan McKee's office did not respond to a request for comment. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
