Proposed ballot question would expand bottle bill

BOSTON (AP) - Environmental activists are pushing a ballot question that would expand the types of bottles covered by Massachusetts' existing bottle bill.

The landmark 1982 law created a 5-cent deposit on carbonated beverages. For more than a decade, activists have been trying to expand the law to include non-carbonated beverages like water, tea and sports drinks.

Backers of the question say sales of those beverages have soared in the past 30 years. They say expanding the bottle deposit law will help encourage consumers to recycle the bottles rather than having them end up in landfills.

Critics of expanding the existing law have argued it would create more headaches for small businesses.

The group filed the proposed question with the state attorney general's office on Wednesday, the deadline for submitting questions for the 2014 ballot.

Cox Media Group