Sierra Club asks Pocomoke City council to back Maryland 'bottle bill' to curb litter and plastic pollution

Speakers from the Lower Eastern Shore Group of the Maryland Sierra Club asked the Pocomoke City Council to support a pending statewide Beverage Container Recycling Refund and Litter Reduction Bill (often called a 'bottle bill'). Jacqueline Grindrod introduced the group and said the Sierra Club would be a resource to the city on environmentally sensitive issues and asked the council to consider a support letter to state legislators (presentation SEG 480–487).

Cindy Dillon, who identified herself as the Sierra Club’s zero-waste lead for the local group, described the bill’s mechanics: a small deposit added to beverage purchases, returned when consumers return containers through reverse-vending machines or designated drop points; financing would come from beverage-producer registration fees, unclaimed deposits and penalties; producers would finance collection and processing costs and local governments could set up redemption facilities to receive handling fees (SEG 548–646). Dillon said states with higher deposits recover a far greater share of containers than those without.

Why it matters: Presenters argued the bill would reduce litter, improve water quality and shift collection costs to beverage producers rather than local governments. They recommended the council affirm local support to influence legislators. Council members asked clarifying questions and noted similar programs elsewhere (one councilor referenced Minnesota and others noted New York examples).

Council response and next steps: The mayor and council thanked the presenters; no formal council endorsement was recorded in the meeting. Presenters offered to return for a longer Q&A and to provide handouts the council could review.