Bottle Bill Scrapbook

Bring on the dancing nickels!  Brian Bishop and Melissa Lynch of NYPIRG show their enthusiastic support for the Bigger Better Bottle Bill at a rally outside the State Capitol on March 25, 2009. (Times Union / Michael P. Farrell)

Sending out an SOS.  Ashley Bruno, Michael Femia, and other NYPIRG volunteers line the hallway outside Senator Joe Bruno’s office, delivering “messages in a bottle” to State Senators on June 16, 2008 (Times Union / LuAnne M. Ferris)

BYOB.  NYPIRG's 20-foot inflatable bottle made frequent appearances at events across the state.  Here it is at an Earth Day rally outside the Capitol in 2003.

“The Bottles.”  Inspired by Christo’s “The Gates” in Central Park, activists “wrapped” the State Capitol on April 19th, 2005 with a chain of 2,400 bottles, representing the number of nondeposit beverage containers that are discarded every 30 seconds in New York.

And many happy returns!  Advocates threw a party for the Bottle Bill’s 25th birthday on June 14, 2007.  Cutting the cake, from left to right, are Barbara Bartoletti of the League of Women Voters, Russ Haven of NYPIRG, Assemblymember William Colton, Assemblymember Robert Sweeney, and Laura Haight of NYPIRG.   Many of the original bill sponsors attended.

Holding the bag.   Laura Haight holds up two bags of bottles at a news conference on February 9, 2009 to show how many noncarbonated beverage containers are discarded every second in New York — the smaller bag is how many get recycled.  (Times Union / Skip Dickstein)

Nickels for nature.  New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Pete Grannis speaks at a news conference outside the Capitol on June 12, 2008, with members of the Bigger Better Bottle Bill coalition standing behind him. (Courtesy of NYSDEC)

Victory!  Laura Haight praises Governor David Paterson and state leaders for passing the Bigger Better Bottle Bill at an Earth Day awards ceremony on April 22, 2009 in Albany's Washington Park.

A great day for New York’s environment.  Laura Haight, at the podium, with environmental leaders at the Earth Day awards ceremony on April 22, 2009.  In the front row, from left to right, are Senator Antoine Thompson, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith, and Governor David Paterson.