The 60-second advertisement argues that the change would mean higher prices on juice, bottled water, soda and other beverages. It also notes that if the ballot question is approved, the nickel deposit would be adjusted every five years to keep up with inflation.
The Massachusetts Sierra Club and other environmental groups, which collected the signatures necessary to put the question on the ballot, say updating the law will reduce litter and encourage recycling.
The organisation says that the initiative (Question 2 on the November ballot) would expand the law to include drinks that weren’t on supermarket shelves when it was passed more than three decades ago.
“These adverts are trying to fool people into thinking that big beverage companies like Coke and Pepsi care more about recycling than we do,” said Phil Sego of the Sierra Club in a statement. “These adverts are bought and paid for by the big beverage companies who will profit from keeping things as they are now, with bottles littering our parks and waterways.”
The supermarkets’ advertisement calls the existing law a ‘money grab’, referring to a decision by state leaders in 2003 to stop funnelling millions in unclaimed deposits into a fund to aid a recycling programme, and instead pour the money into the state’s general fund.
If you don’t return your used containers, politicians get to keep your money, the advertisement says.
Supporters, who have released an online advertisement, say the ballot question would restore the Clean Environment Fund, using unclaimed deposits for recycling, litter clean-up and park improvements.
The advertisement also argues that the expansion of the bottle deposit law is unneeded because the majority of Massachusetts residents already have access to curb-side or other recycling opportunities in their communities.
“Over the past several weeks, we’ve heard tremendous enthusiasm from voters and coalition members who don’t want to pay for a 1980s deposit system that doesn’t meet modern recycling needs,” said Nicole Giambusso, a representative for ‘No On Question 2: Stop Forced Deposits’, in a statement.
The group describes itself as a coalition of environmentalists, recyclers, community organisations and businesses. Its top five donors include four supermarket chains: Roche Bros, Big Y Foods, Stop & Shop and the operators of Price Chopper supermarkets, plus the Washington-based American Beverage Association.
Opponents have already pumped more than $5.4m into a campaign to defeat the question. Nearly all the money ($5m) came from the beverage association.
Source: Mass Live/WCVB
© FoodBev Media Ltd 2024