For the fifth consecutive legislative session, a bottle tax bill has been introduced in the General Assembly. This year, sadly, two of the primary legislation’s sponsors are Warwick’s own Sen. Mark McKenney and Rep. Dave Bennett. While protecting the environment is a goal we all share, this year's bill has unnecessary financial consequences for the Rhode Island taxpayer, a cost that makes this legislation the wrong solution for our state and once again must be defeated. 

 As representatives of the beverage alcohol industry, we were pleased to serve on the Special Joint Legislative Commission to Study and Provide Recommendations to Protect Our Environment and Natural Resources, which convened last year to study our state's recycling system. Co-chaired by Rep. Carol McEntee (D-Narragansett) and Sen. McKenney, the commission met for more than a year, but it sadly became abundantly clear to us early in the engagement that commission leadership would seek to place the responsibility – and the cost – on the Rhode Island taxpayer by imposing a bottle bill. Sure enough, we now have a package of legislation that if enacted will:

• Increase the price of bottled alcohol and non-alcohol beverages, further escalating the cost of Rhode Island grocery bills; 
• Impose a fee of at least 10 cents per container on nearly all plastic, glass and aluminum bottles and cans sold in Rhode Island; 
• Gut our retail small businesses – the backbone of our economy – including convenience and liquor stores by placing them at a disadvantage with neighboring Massachusetts retail businesses, which would have a lower tax on these same beverages.

Let's be clear, littering is a serious issue that deserves attention. But tackling it shouldn’t come at the expense of working families and small businesses. Effective solutions exist — and they don’t require taxing every bottle sold. That's why the commission explored several ways the state might achieve an enhanced litter prevention rate, including a more state-of-the-art state recycling facility that would do a better job of collecting and properly disposing of recycled materials.

Rhode Island’s Materials Recycling Facility was last renovated in 2012, when Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation (RIRRC) moved to “single-stream” recycling, which processes paper, cardboard and containers together. Although cutting edge at the time, single-stream recycling has led to an increase in rejected loads at RIRRC due to contamination because of co-mingling of materials. To correct this problem, RIRRC, in collaboration with the Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns, just last month began to consider rejecting partial loads, opposed to the previous policy of rejecting full loads, when even just a portion was contaminated. Additionally, RIRRC plans to replace its current system and will release a request for qualifications for facility design and support services by early summer. 

Simply put, Rhode Island is already on the verge of implementing a smarter, more state-of-the-art approach to waste collection without placing new financial burdens on consumers. Why then, would we still seek to impose a bottle tax on Rhode Island taxpayers, who are already struggling with soaring inflation, the uncertainty of new federal tariffs and higher prices for a broad-based number of goods? At the grocery store alone, we are already experiencing increased prices on household staples such as eggs, beef, fruit, bread and canned goods to name a few. Are we really going to ask Rhode Islanders to face yet another tax on bottled drinks?  

As we learned from our time on the commission, the state's pursuit of a more modernized recycling system is an appropriate investment to improve our state’s recycling rate of return and properly place the responsibility on government to make these infrastructure improvements – not saddling consumers with an added tax when failing to do so. 

Legislators have a responsibility to lessen the financial burden on their constituents at the cash register, not increase that burden.  Beacon readers should contact Sen. McKenney and Rep. Bennett and voice opposition to this tax scheme at their expense. Rhode Islanders deserve solutions that protect our environment and our wallets. 

Nick Fede Jr. is executive director of the Rhode Island Liquor Operators Collaborative. Jackie Mancini is president of Mancini Beverage. Robert Swartz is president of Southern Glazer's Beverage Company of Rhode Island.