By ohtadmin, The Jamestown Press
A poll by the Mellman Group shows most Rhode Island residents support a so-called bottle bill to reduce litter and improve recycling.
The results were released March 7 by Save The Bay, which paid for the study. The bill would establish a system for people to return beverage bottles and cans for deposits.
Among the poll’s findings, there is concern about litter and waste along the coast (85 percent) with 65 percent saying it is of “great concern” to them.
Nearly three-quarters of respondents (71 percent) are concerned the current recycling system “is not working.” Similarly, 73 percent are concerned the Johnston landfill is nearing capacity.
A 27-point majority, 58-31, said they support a bottle bill. A majority of voters also said they are likely to return their empty beverage containers. When told where redemption centers would be located, 57 percent said they were likely to participate. That is compared to 38 percent who said they would not.
“Rhode Islanders are tired of seeing single-use beverage containers littering our streets and our shoreline,” said Save The Bay’s Jed Thorp. “These poll results show that Rhode Islanders support the adoption of a bottle bill and that they’re likely to return their empty containers once a system is in place.”
Cleanups coordinated by Save The Bay also have identified single-use beverage containers as one of the top pieces of trash collected. In 2024, 2,733 volunteers collected 114,914 total pieces of trash, including 25,276 pieces from single-use beverage containers…
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