Reimbursement for Cigarette Butts February 22, 2001
News Summary
A proposed bill in the Maine legislature would place a surcharge on a pack of cigarettes, but allow smokers to receive cash for each cigarette butt they turn in, the Associated Press reported Feb. 20.The legislation, considered the first of its kind in the United States, is sponsored by Rep. Joseph Brooks. The proposal is modeled after the state's bottle-return law.
Under the Returnable Butt Bill, smokers would pay a $1 surcharge on cigarette packs bought in Maine. They could then redeem their cigarette butts for a nickel each.
"It's not a joke," Brooks stated. He said he introduced the measure in an effort to rid public places and outsides of businesses of unsightly cigarette butts.
The state's Business and Economic Development Committee is currently hearing arguments on the bill. The Maine Merchants Association argued that the proposal could force shoppers to buy their cigarettes in neighboring states.
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