Proposed 'bottle bill' backed by commission

Bedford County Board of Commissioners gave its endorsement Tuesday night to a state "bottle bill" which would add a 5-cent deposit to the cost of all soft drink, beer, energy drink or water cans and bottles, redeemable when the containers were turned in for recycling.

Marge Davis of Mt. Juliet appeared before commissioners to answer questions about it. Davis is coordinator of Pride Of Place, an organization formed to promote the bill, and also vice president of Scenic Tennessee Inc., which formed Pride Of Place.

Bottles would not be redeemed at the stores where they were purchased, as they were in the old days of returnable glass soft drink bottles. Instead, they would be accepted at recycling centers. Those centers would receive funding from unclaimed deposits and would also be able to sell the containers and materials collected.

Davis said the county would see no direct revenue from a bottle bill but would benefit through reduced tipping fees and transportation costs if the bill reduced the number of beverage containers disposed of in landfills. Commissioner Bobby Vannatta, a farmer, noted the problem of roadside litter causing damage to farm equipment. Davis said that the Tennessee Farm Bureau has endorsed the bill but has not actively lobbied for it.

The bill would not apply to liquor, wine or dairy products. Davis said the organizers made a practical decision to limit the bill so that they wouldn't need to face off against as many industry lobbyists. But she said a bottle bill would help increase the market for recycled glass, which could indirectly result in more wine and liquor bottles being recycled.

In other action Tuesday night:

* Commissioners approved an agreement with FirstBank to provide the county's banking services. The contract was awarded by competitive bid.

* Commissioners approved a budget amendment allowing Bedford County Agriculture and Education Center to purchase a tractor.

* Dempsey, Dilling and Associates was approved as an engineering consultant for Bedford County Planning Commission.

* A special revenue fund was created for the lease payments received by the county from the new operator of Bedford County Nursing Home.

* Commissioners heard quarterly reports from various county department heads.