TIMES RECORD • October 27, 2022
A recent article suggested the deposit on bottles be raised from 5 to 10 cents. A deposit increase will increase costs for redemption centers, the very people the author wants to help. Redemption centers loan about $50 million worth of nickels to people returning beverage containers. That amount will double if the deposit is raised to a dime. A deposit increase will drive even more retail business over the border to New Hampshire and will make bottle bill fraud, a chronic challenge, even worse. The problem is the system we have today has not kept up with the times. Most bottles returned for deposit in Maine are individually counted by hand and sorted by brand and size — a tremendous expense. In the meantime, recycling, technology, consumers, and packaging have changed dramatically. Before we invest more money into an old system, we might consider if there’s a more efficient and less expensive way to do it. ~ Newell Augur, Maine Beverage Association