January 7, 2009
The News-Review
Editorial
A welcome toast to Oregon's revised recycling law
It’s about dang time.
We propose a toast to the first adjustment to Oregon’s 1971 bottle bill, a change that took effect six days ago and that should result in a cleaner landscape. Beginning Jan. 1, the state added water and flavored water bottles to the list of containers that can be redeemed for a nickel deposit.
Rarely has Thomas Jefferson’s head been traded for such a good cause. It used to be that the only people regularly toting around H2O were firefighters and marathoners, as well as the occasional traveler on the lookout for the Wicked Witch of the West.
But in the past decade or so, bottled water has become a necessary accessory, one that few would risk being bare of in public. Savvy marketers realize consumers will swiftly swallow a product regarded as having cachet. Add to that the perception that water in disposable bottles is far safer than what flows out of municipal systems — despite the fact that certain brands come from just such a source — and you wind up with a tsunami of sales.
The Beverage Marketing Corp. reports that in 2007, Americans purchased 8.8 billion gallons of bottled water, a 6.9 percent advance over 2006. At 29 gallons per person, U.S. residents drank more bottled water each year than any other beverage except for carbonated soft drinks.
You probably see where this is going. Once the water is quaffed, what becomes of the containers holding those 8.8 billion gallons?
Chris McCullough, Douglas County’s recycling manager, said 82 percent of water bottles in Oregon are tossed. He predicts that the revised law will stem the tide of empties, and that only about one in five water bottles will end up in landfills a year from now.
Makes sense. When Oregon premiered its bottle bill 38 years ago — the first in the nation, and an inspiration to 10 other states passing similar laws — about 40 percent of beer and soda cans and bottles littered our highways. That number has plummeted to 6 percent, according to the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, the agency that enforces the bottle bill.
No need to worry about finding takers for the recyclables. The law now requires stores of 5,000 square feet or more to accept bottles and cans of all sizes for each type of beverage sold, including brands they don’t sell. Stores may, however, place limits on the number of returns per person per day: 50 cans or bottles per person per visit for smaller stores, 144 for larger retailers.
And it shouldn’t be hard to determine which bottle qualifies for a nickel return. Just look at the label. Containers of water and flavored water sold before Jan. 1, 2009, that are not labeled with the OR 5-cent refund value will not be accepted by retailers.
So gather up the remains of your Aquafinas and Dasanis, and recycle those dry husks. We Oregonians were the first Americans to enact a bottle bill. Let’s carry through with our earth-friendly heritage, even as we hydrate.
http://www.nrtoday.com/article/20090107/EDITORIALS/901079939/1022&title=Editorial:%20A%20welcome%20toast%20to%20Oregon%27s%20revised%20recycling%20law
