Uncollected bottle deposits to help clean Vermont water

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) - A new law will direct millions of dollars from Vermont’s uncollected bottle deposit fund to the state’s clean water program.

Vermont Public Radio reports that Republican Gov. Phil Scott signed the bill into law on Wednesday.

Currently, the fund’s money is returned to the beverage industry.

Vermont Public Interest Research Group executive director Paul Burns says it makes more sense to use these funds to clean the state’s water.

Burns says uncollected bottle deposits in Vermont total between $2 million and $3 million each year.

Burns says about 75 percent of the containers covered by the law are currently returned or recycled. He says that he hopes this figure will increase under the new law.