City of Baltimore - File #: 13-0139R

• File #: 13-0139R
• Version: 0
• Name: Request for State Action - Statewide Bottle Deposit Law
• Type: City Council Resolution
• Status: Adopted
• File created: 12/5/2013
• In control: City Council
• Final action: 12/5/2013
• Title: Request for State Action - Statewide Bottle Deposit Law FOR the purpose of calling on the General Assembly to address the serious litter problems caused by improperly disposed of beverage containers, while acting to significantly reduce Maryland’s greenhouse gas emissions, by enacting a law creating a refundable bottle deposit in Maryland.
• Sponsors: Bill Henry, Brandon M. Scott, Carl Stokes, Nick Mosby, James B. Kraft, Mary Pat Clarke, Edward Reisinger, Sharon Green Middleton, Robert Curran
• Indexes: Resolution

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result
12/5/2013	0	City Council	Introduced
12/5/2013	0	City Council	Advanced to 2nd Reader on same day
12/5/2013	0	City Council	Adopted

* WARNING: THIS IS AN UNOFFICIAL, INTRODUCTORY COPY OF THE BILL.
THE OFFICIAL COPY CONSIDERED BY THE CITY COUNCIL IS THE FIRST READER COPY.
INTRODUCTORY*

CITY OF BALTIMORE
COUNCIL BILL R
(Resolution)

Introduced by: Councilmember Henry



A RESOLUTION ENTITLED

A COUNCIL RESOLUTION concerning
title
Request for State Action - Statewide Bottle Deposit Law

FOR the purpose of calling on the General Assembly to address the serious litter problems caused by improperly disposed of beverage containers, while acting to significantly reduce Maryland’s greenhouse gas emissions, by enacting a law creating a refundable bottle deposit in Maryland.
body

Recitals

Beverage containers are one of the most prevalent, unsightly, and harmful forms of litter in Maryland. Studies have shown that they make up as much as half of all litter that ends up in our threatened waterways, they tend to blight our landscapes for extended periods of time since they do not biodegrade, and the emissions cost to replace them if they’re not recycled is as much as four times higher than for the average item sent to a landfill.

Failure to properly recycle these bottles clearly carries significant costs for society. And yet, Marylanders currently recycle only 41.3% of all used beverage containers, while other states have achieved recycling rates as high as 90%. The secret to these much higher rates has been the passage of bottle deposit laws in our sister states.

Requiring a refundable bottle deposit in Maryland would likely at least double our bottle recycling rate – taking nearly 1.5 billion bottles out of the waste stream annua...