Gov. won't repeal Delaware's bottle bill

The government, in the text of his veto message, said he would return the bill to the legislature without his signature so an alternative to the existing bottle bill can be developed that will improve waste diversion and recycling in the state.

“Although I am sympathetic to those who argue that the current bottle bill system is broken, this bill as written, without additional consumer protections or a plan to improve our recycling rate, does not move us forward,” he said.

“I am committed to doing what I can to ensure that we replace it with something better,” Markell said in a statement.

The Delaware House had overwhelmingly approved the repeal of the state's 5-cent deposit on plastic and glass beverage bottles earlier this month, and the Senate had approved the repeal by a 12-6 vote. The repeal of the deposit, which applies to beverages packaged in containers that are smaller than two quarts, would have gone into effect Sept. 1.

A repeal would have been counter to recent trends, as states including Oregon, Connecticut and New York have recently expanded their bottle bills to include water bottles.

Markell has directed the state Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and the state Economic Development office to work with legislators, beverage distributors, retailers and environmentalists to develop an alternative to the current bill “that will comprehensively examine how beverage bottles are distributed, sold, returned and recycled. My hope is that we can propose a workable solution when the General Assembly returns in January 2010,” Markell said.

“While the bottle bill does help reduce litter and promote recycling, the problems with this initiative are notable,” Markell said. “The use of plastic bottles in lieu of glass has grown significantly, but very few plastic bottles are returned. Cans are no longer included within the law's scope and the program is otherwise cumbersome and costly to administer for retailers.”

Markell added that there is also “very little accountability” under the current bottle bill program, making its effectiveness “difficult to measure. In the end, consumers are paying for a recycling initiative that is not very effective,” he said.

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