OGDENSBURG, New York (WWNY) – Redemption centers hoped a state bottle bill that would help them stay in business would pass during the last legislative session.
It didn’t and other players involved say the bill isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution.
Pepsi Ogdensburg may look small on the outside, but it houses a huge operation.
“We’ve got 1,700 accounts. We handle St. Lawrence, Lewis, Franklin counties,” said Scott Wright, president of Pepsi-Cola Ogdensburg Bottlers.
A bill in Albany is looking to make some tweaks to decades-old legislation regarding your bottles and cans. One longed-for by local redemption centers is the Bigger Better Bottle Bill.
They argue they’re living in 2024 with a 2009 salary when the last increase to their handling fees came.
“What it does is it changes their handling fee, which is what they’re referring to. They’re still working at 3.5 cents. It’ll increase over time, it’ll go from 6, and then to 6-and-a-half cents,” said state Assemblyman Scott Gray (R. – 116th District).
The bottle bill would increase the deposit on bottle returns from 5 to 10 cents and would make all bottles, even glass, eligible for return. Right now, non-carbonated sugary drinks, wines and liquors, and milk products can’t be redeemed.
“There’s going to be significant cost associated with them as well to accommodate this volume as well as increased revenue for them,” said Gray.
It’ll help redemption centers, so what’s the hold-up? Well, it wouldn’t benefit distributors, like Pepsi Ogdensburg. They pay the handling fees, and the five cents not charged when processing bottles from out-of-state.
“Cost increases with labor. Cost increases with just the cost of the handling fees. All that adds up and ultimately hits the consumer,” said Wright.
He says the state shouldn’t hurt one industry to help another.
“I think my wish is we get all the players in the same room and we have a conversation to fix this. I don’t think a knee-jerk, end-of-session bill is the right answer to this,” said Wright.
The bill could be looked at again next session. Local redemption centers say it’s becoming almost impossible to pay the bills and stay open.