As we see it, whether or not Bermuda has a bottle bill really depends on how serious we are about keeping Bermuda clean for both Bermudians and visitors.

In the past Bermuda has too often taken the path of least resistance which has allowed litter to go on spoiling our beautiful countryside.

A bottle bill means that a deposit is paid on all take-out bottles and there is thus an incentive to return them and collect the cash. Or, if they do wind up as litter, someone else will collect them for the cash deposit. If Bermuda had a bottle bill we could forsee trash-a-thons to collect the litter and donate the money to worthy causes. A bottle bill would not stop all careless litter but there can be little doubt that litter would be greatly reduced.

Local bottlers and those who import bottled products and beers do not want such a bill because they would have the trouble of storing the bottles and returning the cash. Surely if companies profit from something which damages their Country they have a duty to repair that damage.

Right now the public bears the burden and the cost of collecting these bottles. That means that law abiding citizens are taxed to pay for litterers so that Government can clean the roads and waysides. There is a cost to litter and we see no reason for that cost to be applied to the general public when it could be applied to those who profit from the littering products. In the same way we think companies which produce as good deal of trash from take-out operations should be responsible for cleaning the areas around their take-outs.

Bottle bills are not an untried theory. They have been used extensively in the United States and they do lead to improvements. They also receive the approval of large sections of the public who want their community to be clean.

It is often difficult to understand why a country like Bermuda which lives to such a large extent on its beauty is willing to go on tolerating unnecessary litter. This Country was a leader in sign laws and banning neon lighting.

Bermudians understood early on that protecting Bermuda from the excesses of some other countries was the way to create a unique Country. Yet we drag our feet when confronted by thousands of bottles along the roads and in the bushes and hedges. Bermudians have to ask themselves if that is what they want when much of it can be avoided.