“Long before the bill was approved in the 2009 session, opponents to the bill warned about the extra cost of handling the bottles and how that would add to the price of bottled water. They advocated instead that governments do a more aggressive job of curbside recycling to encourage proper disposal of the bottles and cut down on clutter in the environment.

“But the financial incentive for cash-strapped New York made this bill as fiscally attractive as it was environmentally sound. The state will keep 80 percent of unclaimed deposits on all bottles and cans of beverages. The manufacturers, who currently get all the unclaimed deposit money, will get 20 percent – a fact they have said would further add to the cost of their products.”