May 5, 2008
A national bottle recycling bill
by Sam Carana
We may soon have a national surcharge on drink containers. The idea is that this will encourage people to recycle drink bottles and cans. When the bottles and cans are brought to recycling centers, the money is returned.
Eleven states now have deposit programs that encourage consumers to return containers to claim the refund on the deposit. They are California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Oregon and Vermont. Most states impose a $0.05 deposit. The California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act imposes an surcharge of $0.10 for containers of 24 ounces or more and $0.05 for containers under 24 ounces. Some states have deposits as high as $0.15 for some liquor bottles.
In states with such bills, recycling rates are substantially higher than in states without deposit laws. Because of this, no state drink container law has ever been repealed, says the Bottle Bill Resource Guide. In fact, it's likely that we'll soon have a national law imposing a surcharge on drink containers.
On November 15, Massachusetts Representative Edward Markey introduced the Bottle Recycling Climate Protection Act of 2007 into the U.S. House of Representatives. If the bill passes, it will mean a $0.05 deposit on every beverage container sold across the country. States with existing relevant legislation or with high recycling rates will be exempt from the national standard for 3 years, or as long as they maintain high recycling rates.
References:
Container Recycling Institute - eliminate all Beverage Container Waste by 2020!
Reverse Vending Machines
California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act
Bottle Bill Resource Guide
H.R. 4238: Bottle Recycling Climate Protection Act of 2007
Press release on National Bottle Bill - House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming
http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977338833&grpId=3659174697244816&nav=Groupspace
