December 20, 2009
County 'bottle bill' would boost recycling in Frederick, but needs state approval
Frederick County Commissioner John L. Thompson Jr. has proposed a mandatory bottle return system for the county as part of the legislative agenda for 2010.
The proposal is an effort to tackle the ever-mounting problem of consumer garbage across the state.
"We're in a situation dealing with wasted energy, and of course the answer from everybody is: Well, we need to do more recycling," Thompson said. "But we don't have the authority to force people to recycle."
The proposed bill would require consumers to pay a 5-cent deposit on beverage containers, providing incentive to return empties for a refund. According to the Maryland Constitution, local governments cannot mandate recycling or redemption systems, but Thompson's bill would request an override for Frederick County.
Although the law would not take effect until a sufficient number of jurisdictions in the area adopted similar legislation, Frederick 's would be the only county-level returns program in the nation.
Eleven states have return programs in place, and the only municipal bottle law in the U.S., in Columbia, Mo., was repealed in 2002.
The idea of a statewide "bottle bill" in Maryland has come up before, but past proposals have made little headway. Although the Maryland General Assembly considered appointing a task force to study the feasibility of implementing a returns program in 2007, the idea lost favor in the House Environmental Matters Committee.
Jay Apperson, a spokesman for the Maryland Department of the Environment, said in searching for solutions to consumer waste problems, "we have seen (bottle return) laws can significantly increase recycling rates and reduce litter."
But the programs can also be a financial burden, particularly in a down economy, he said. Apperson added that his agency had no position on a county returns system.
For some, the issue is even more contentious at the local level. "It is absolutely a recipe for fraud and economic disaster," said Ellen Valentino, executive vice president of Maryland Beverage Association.
Even if other counties adopted a similar measure, "When you have surrounding jurisdictions that do not support a returns program, people from surrounding counties will be trying to return in Frederick ."
Frederick already has a curbside recycling program in place, and the law would put an additional onus on consumers and small businesses by forcing them to collect and transport empty containers, Valentino said.
Yet some argue the beverage lobby is more concerned with the financial implications that a returns program would have on the industry than the best interests of consumers.
Phil Lee, board president of the Baltimore Harbor Watershed Association, was involved in drafting the first statewide bottle bill in 2006. Lee said the campaign is a means to address serious health issues that stem from polluted water.
Lee said he doubted a county-level bill would solve the problem.
"It's better to have all or nothing," he said.
Bottle bills have demonstrated success, Lee said.
"Recycling, it's been shown, has doubled in all states that have implemented bottle bills."
He said the benefits eventually outweigh the costs, pointing out that the state spends millions of dollars annually to pick up trash along highways, and that recyclable materials clog up valuable space in landfills.
More bottle bill campaigns have failed than have been successful in the United States, and a county-level proposal faces state-sized obstacles.
"This is big business," said Lee, explaining that aside from the handful of legislators who have supported bottle bills, advocates are mainly just volunteers.
"It's like David and Goliath, and we don't even have a stone."
http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=99212
