August 19, 2008
Spinal Column
MUCC still pushing for expansion of bottle deposit law
August 13, 2008 - The Michigan United Conservation Clubs (MUCC) is forging ahead with an initiative to expand the state's beverage container deposit law, hoping the Legislature will vote on the issue when lawmakers return to session later this year, according to MUCC Executive Director Dennis Muchmore.
"We are like all groups in that we must obtain 75 percent (approval from) the Legislature to pass an amendment (to the Constitution)," he said. "We put that requirement in to make it exceedingly difficult to amend, and in this instance it works against us."
The MUCC announced Wednesday, Aug. 6, a partnership with the Michigan Recreation and Parks Association to help build a solid grassroots base and get the bottle deposit law expansion passed. Dave Nyberg, a resource policy specialist for MUCC, runs a Facebook group called Support a Bigger Better Bottle Bill for Michigan as a part of the growing campaign. The group has 1,457 members and is updated with information on the progress of the reform effort.
"We will continue to add partners as we go forth," Muchmore said.
There are two bills in the Legislature that could be passed in order to amend the bottle deposit law to include non-carbonated beverages, according to Nyberg.
"In the 1970s when we first instituted the bottle return law, we did it to eradicate container litter," Nyberg said. "Back then bottled water, teas and sports drinks weren't on the market or available like they are now, so we didn't have them included. Now their popularity has soared. The Container Recycling Institute estimates that by 2010 the sales of those kinds of beverages will exceed pop sales.
"Litter is becoming a huge problem again because these containers don't have a refundable deposit," he added. "We just want to update the law to include these containers."
Nyberg said trying to amend the law has been and will continue to be an uphill battle, and that MUCC and the Michigan Recreation and Parks Association joined forces to form a focused coalition of support to inform people about the bottle deposit law amendment.
"We just want to improve and update the law," he said. "It's good for the economy, reduces litter and is good for business and the environment. We are hoping to get the Legislature to jump on board."
MUCC and the Michigan Recreation and Parks Association hope to push lameduck legislators to vote in favor of the law when they come back to session. Nyberg said if they are unsuccessful the organizations will try again in 2009 with the new batch of legislators.
Dennis Schornack, executive director of the Michigan Recreation and Parks Association, said about half of the litter that park officials pick up is comprised of non-returnable beverage containers.
"The system of dealing with carbonated beverages in Michigan has worked remarkably well," he said. "It's probably the single most successful recycling program in the country when it comes to dealing with carbonated beverage containers. It doesn't make a lot of sense to base our state recycling policy on the presence or absence of bubbles, and right now that's what it seems to be based on."
There is opposition to the reform effort, including from the Michigan Soft Drink Association and the Michigan Grocers Association. The Michigan Recycling Partnership is a coalition of business and organizations that oppose the expansion. Instead, they propose a one-cent recycling fee collected on beverage transactions.
Schornack said polling indicates that 75 percent of Michigan residents support a bottle deposit law expansion.
"Frankly, we prefer the bottle deposit because a deposit is 100 percent refundable," he said. "It's totally different than the tax they propose. In fact, we'd really be happy to put both issues on the ballot and see what people choose. We think they'd pretty quickly choose the refundable deposit system because it's worked so well and it doesn't entail a tax increase."
Brooke Meier is a staff writer for the Spinal Column Newsweekly
http://www.spinalcolumnonline.com/Articles-i-2008-08-13-55848.113117_MUCC_still_pushing_for_expansion_of_bottle_deposit_law.html
