Bottled Water Will Now Cost Consumers An Extra Nickel

A federal court judge lifted a sixmonth long injunction prohibiting New York State from collecting deposits on the sale of bottled water on Friday, Oct. 23.

Similar to the five-cent deposits on beer and soda containers, residents will pay an extra nickel at the store for every container of bottled water they purchase. They can get their money back by taking their containers to recycling stations in local supermarkets and other areas; 80 percent of deposits that go unclaimed (are not returned to consumers) will go into state coffers.

In an Aug. 14 release, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo claimed that the bill will result “not only in cleaner communities and new, green jobs but also in over $1000 million in added revenue for New York State.

In her initial ruling on Aug. 14 restoring large portions of the Bigger Better Bottle Bill, Southern District Court Judge Deborah Batts gave the bottled water industry until Oct. 22 to argue against the nickel deposit. The industry had filed suit in May alleging that the bill excluded sports drinks, sweetened iced teas and similar beverages.

“The expansion of this legislation not only provides our state with much-needed revenue,” Gov. David Paterson stated in an Oct. 23 release, “but will also help us to keep our neighborhoods and parks clean.