NY AG Announces Settlement on Bottle Bill

The state of New York’s Attorney General Eliot Spitzer announced an agreement with three 7-Eleven franchises in Nassau County which had been cited for failing to comply with New York State’s Bottle Law.

An investigation by the Attorney General’s Office found that the three stores had refused to accept for redemption empty bottles of "Classic Select" - - a beverage sold exclusively by 7-Eleven - - even though customers paid a five cent deposit for each bottle at the time of purchase.

"New York’s Bottle Law is a cornerstone environmental statute that greatly reduces litter and promotes reuse and recycling," said Spitzer. "The law works only if stores accept returns of the beverage containers they sell to consumers."

Under the agreements, each of the three 7-Eleven franchises will:

• Fully comply with all the requirements of the Bottle Law;

• Take steps to ensure that their managers and personnel are fully trained;

• Post a "Bottle Bill of Rights" sign in each store; and,

• Pay a penalty of $100.

In addition, Tariq Khan, owner of one of the franchises and chairman of the National Coalition of 7-Eleven Franchisees, will distribute a notice to each of the coalition’s 200-plus members advising them of the settlement and instructing them about complying with the law.

The Bottle Law requires businesses to accept for redemption empty beverage containers sold by the business and pay the customer a refund for each container.

The past July, the Attorney General’s Nassau Regional Office received a consumer complaint alleging that some 7-Eleven stores were refusing to accept returns on beverage containers sold exclusively by the company.

This agreement is part of a series of enforcement actions to ensure compliance with the state’s Bottle Law. Other cases involved the Duane Reade, CVS, Rite Aid and Eckerd drug store chains.