DRINKWALTER: Will water bottle deposit law turn into Seinfeld?

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November 7, 2009

Deb Drinkwalter The Lockport Union-Sun %26 Journal Sat Nov 07, 2009, 11:50 PM EST

When I heard that New York was going to begin charging a nickel deposit on all bottled water under a gallon, my first thought was, that’s a great idea! Several other states have recently begun, or soon will be, doing the same.

Even if some people quit buying as much bottled water, due to the extra charge for deposit, many people will continue to buy the “edocrine disrupter” laden stuff. (Oh, that is a estrogen-like compound that has been found in the plastic used in disposable water bottles, not to be confused with the harmful BPA-Bisenol A, that is used in many of the reusable plastic water bottles.) Yuck! So I quit using the reusable plastic bottles in the car and began using the disposable plastic bottled water. You can’t win on this one can you?

Anyway, now those garbage pickers that trawl the streets with stolen grocery shopping carts can earn even more cash in New York. But then again, maybe people will think twice before pitching the empty bottles out the car window. It is said that 80 percent of all plastic water bottles end up in landfill.

Then, I began chuckling to myself, as I was reminded of the “Seinfeld” episode where Kramer and Neuman decide to find a way to take piles of empty returnable bottles and cans from New York to Michigan where they pay a dime per bottle instead of our New York nickel. Newman (who supposedly works for the U.S. Postal Service) ends up signing up to drive a mail truck to Michigan during the Mother’s Day mail rush so they can cram the piles of empties, along with the mail, into the back of the truck and take them along to be returned upon arrival. That way the two can make a better profit on their scheme by not having to pay for their own gas and tolls. It would be a win, win!

Soon we see Kramer and Neuman gleefully tooling along on the interstate singing: (To the tune of “99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall”)

“Nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine bottle and cans in the trunk,

Nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine bottles and cans.

At 10 cents a bottle and 10 cents a can, we're pulling in $500 a man.

Nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-eight bottle and cans in the trunk, nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-eight bottles and cans.

We fill up with gas, we count up our cash!!...”

Turned out, after much ado, (if you remember the whole sordid story) they found out that Michigan does not except bottles purchased from any other state.

With that in mind, my next thought was, once the state begins to redeem plastic water bottles, how do they keep people from bringing in loads of bottles purchased in other states and reaping the benefit of a refund where a deposit was never paid? That is called over-redemption and there goes the profit, but whose profit? The store itself won’t lose (except for the extra space they will need) but manufacturers and distributors like Coca-Cola will take the hit, initially, on their water products.

My last thought was, this could easily simulate a Seinfeld episode debacle. After speaking with a manager at a Lockport supermarket, I was told that people actually do bring in bottles purchased in Ohio that they never paid a deposit on and as long as the item reads “NY DEPOSIT,” folks get money back that they never paid out. Now, the machines will automatically read the barcode and labels on the water bottles, just like they have been all along for the other refundable bottles and cans.

Oh, and as for New York State, they will potentially profit beaucoups bucks from all those bottles that aren’t redeemed. Kramer and Neuman could’ve had fun with this one!

Deb Drinkwalter is a Lockport resident. Her column appears every Sunday. Contact Deb at d.drinkwalter@yahoo.com.

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DRINKWALTER: Will water bottle deposit law turn into Seinfeld?

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