Instead of expanding the bottle refund, they want to eliminate it and
put all bottles through the recycling and garbage disposal. I thought we
elected them to create jobs and make a better Vermont, but instead they
keep trying to destroy some of Vermont's smaller businesses with yet
another stupid idea. If they eliminate the bottle refund act they would
put a lot of Vermont's redemption centers out of business.
They don't realize or don't care that some of Vermont's elderly, low
income, youth and nonprofit organizations rely on the bottle refunds to
support or contribute to their lower income. Many elderly Vermonters and
regular citizens, while taking a walk, pick up those bottles and
accumulate them to turn in for cash. Also, if they eliminate the bottle
refund, there would likely be more litter on the highways and country
roads in our fair state.
Would this be profitable for the state since in the spring state workers
are required to clean up the highways? Is that their way of creating
more jobs and contributing to the infrastructure for the state?
Instead of eliminating the bottle refund law they should expand it to
include water bottles, iced tea bottles, juice bottles, and other small
bottles so they don't end up on the highways and country side fields.
Surely if they increased the bottle refund policy, it would create more
jobs by expanding the workforce at redemption centers, help out the
nonprofit agencies that use bottle returns as minor funding, and Vermont
citizens that use the bottle refunds to supplement their income.
Perhaps the Legislature should spend more valuable time to reduce the
property taxes, create more jobs in the small business sector, revamp
the education system to save money, and eliminate waste and fraud within
some of the government agencies, then spending time and money on trying
to eliminate the bottle refund act. Don't fix it if it isn't broken.
Perhaps Vermont legislators should try for a little more "redemption"
within the state government.
Brenda J. Viens lives in Fayston.
