It always give me a lift in early May to see Vermonters cleaning up their roadsides on Green Up Day. Most of us really do care about the appearance of our state. On the other hand, it would be nice if we did not have to clean up after those that don’t.
Here’s something that might help. When I did my green up I noticed that the vast majority of what I was picking up could (or should) be recycled. Easily 95 percent by bulk of the items I put in those bright green bags were single-use beverage containers made of plastic, glass, or aluminum. Most of them are not returnable for deposits. Those that are still bring only five cents when returned, the same as they did when the law was passed in 1972. I am told that would be about 31 cents today.
Isn’t it time to expand our bottle deposit law to cover all single-use beverage containers? And while the legislature is at it, why not raise the deposit to at least 30 cents — maybe 35 cents if they are going to wait another forty-plus years to update the law?
Spencer Putnam
Weybridge