On Valentine’s Day, a dedicated group of college students from the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) chapters at Queens College and Queensborough Community College released the results of a statewide litter survey in a heartfelt plea to lawmakers to update New York’s Bottle Bill.
Their survey reported the results of 20 litter cleanups across the state last fall including one done in Kissena Park and Dubos Point in Far Rockaway. The results showed some startling numbers:
The current Bottle Bill requires a five-cent refundable deposit on beer, soda and other carbonated beverage containers. NYPIRG and others want the law upgraded to include non-carbonated beverages, such as bottled water, iced tea and various sports drinks.
Additionally, the new Bottle Bill contains a provision to require beverage companies to transfer unclaimed consumer deposits back to the state for use in the Environmental Protection Fund.
We agree with the principals behind this expansion of the current law, but each year for three years the State Senate has blocked its passage. We invite State Senator Joe Bruno to come down to Flushing Meadows-Corona Park on any sunny weekend and observe the overflowing trash cans stuffed with plastic beverage containers.
The Bigger Better Bottle Bill would help eliminate this sanitation nightmare and it could generate up to $200 million a year in new revenue for the environment.
Sounds like a win-win law to us - how about voting it through this year and letting us all enjoy a cleaner city and state.
Kill congestion pricing in City Council
We have to agree with former Queens City Councilmember Walter McCaffrey, the lead spokesperson for Keep NYC Congestion Tax Free. McCaffrey points out - as we have in this space - that, “The congestion pricing plan offers no guarantees or fairness, there is no room on mass transit or available parking for commuters on our neighborhood streets, and no extra money in working people’s budgets for the big business boondoggle.”
The Traffic Mitigation Commission failed to deliver a reasonable and viable alternative to Mayor Bloomberg’s original flawed plan. Therefore, it is incumbent upon our elected officials, especially the 41 councilmembers who represent outer-borough districts, to vote NO on this grab for the federal “fool’s gold.”
Do not allow us to become stuck in a quagmire of bureaucracy. The City Council is in the driver’s seat now, and they must put the breaks on congestion pricing here and now. Just vote NO.
