January 23, 2007
Hot line gives citizens way to report litterbugs
It's the newest leg of state effort
By KATE HOWARD
Tennesseans can now send a present to drivers who toss their trash illegally: a little trash bag, disposable ashtray and a letter reminding the offender that littering is punishable by a hefty fine.
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A hot line to report littering is the newest leg of the Tennessee Department of Transportation's Stop Litter campaign. TDOT officials said they expect to spend about $250,000 on the campaign this year, which is fully funded by the state tax on alcohol and soft drinks.
But recycling advocates say the state's beverage industry, which supports the anti-litter campaigns, doesn't want the legislature to pass a bill requiring a refundable deposit on cans and bottles.
"The hot line is not a bad idea, but it's a drop in the bucket," said Marge Davis, a member of Tennesseans for Scenic Beauty.
While Davis said she's in favor of programs that raise awareness of the littering problem, she's been fighting for a comprehensive bill that would charge a 5-cent deposit on aluminum, glass and plastic bottles. That would encourage people to recycle and get money back, she says. Eleven states have deposit laws.
" Tennessee has been relying on education and enforcement for 25 years," Davis said. "It's worked to a degree, and that will continue, but if we want significant change, we need a bottle bill."
A bill proposed last year that would charge a 5-cent deposit— plus a 3-cent handling fee — and guarantee the unclaimed deposit money to anti-littering campaigns was voted down in a subcommittee review. Davis said another draft will be considered this year.
Rich Foge, president of the Tennessee Malt Beverage Association, said a deposit bill is a "warm and fuzzy name for another tax."
"A bottle bill is a very inefficient, expensive way to remove a small percentage of litter on the highways," Foge said. "There's no logic to the argument that if you get a nickel back for your can, you won't throw your cigarette butt out the window also."
http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070123/NEWS01/701230355/1006
