April 2, 2010

Bill that would bring curbside recycling to homeowners, businesses introduced

Delawareans would be offered a statewide curbside recycling service under legislation introduced late last week at Legislative Hall.

Sen. David McBride, D-Hawks Nest, and Rep. Michael Mulrooney, D-Pennwood, worked with the Markell administration to develop Senate Bill 234. The proposal would implement curbside recycling for single-family homes by September 2011. The bill would end the current returnable bottle deposit and the five-cent charge for each plastic soft drink container, with a 4-cent charge that would last four years.

The bill is not considered to be a sure thing, since legislators have been eying money from plastic container charges for other purposes. “I have been working on recycling in Delaware for more than 15 years, and this legislation would achieve a long-sought goal to have a true, comprehensive recycling system in this state,” said McBride, chairman of the Senate Natural Resources and Environmental Control Committee. “This would be a win for environment and a win for Delawareans, who would have an easy – but optional – way to recycle in their homes and businesses.”

Senate Bill 234 would:

§ Require municipalities and waste haulers to provide a recycling container and collection for all customers on the following timetable: single-family homes as well as restaurants and bars by September 2011; multi-family residences, such as apartment complexes by January 2013 and commercial businesses by January 2014. While the bill requires that municipalities and waste haulers provide recycling service to their customers, recycling would not be mandatory for residents or businesses – simply an option.

§ Eliminate the “bottle bill” bottle-deposit-and-return system as of December 1, 2010, meaning the 5-cent returnable deposit would no longer be added to the cost of soda and beer bottles. Consumers would able to receive deposits for previously purchased bottles until February 1, 2011, but after that date food and liquor stores would no longer pay 5 cents for returned bottles.

§ For a period of four years, assess a 4-cent Recycling Fee on the types of beer and soda bottles currently carrying the deposit. Proceeds from this fee would be made available to municipalities and waste haulers to reduce the startup costs associated with universal recycling. The fee would end December 1, 2014.

Currently, the Delaware Solid Waste Authority subsidizes a curbside recycling program. Under SB 234, the authority would drop its program, deferring responsibity to municipalities and private haulers. DSWA would turn over the recycling bins currently used by Delawareans for use in the universal recycling service.

SB 234 also includes provisions relating to setting recycling goals for the state and for moving the existing Recycling Public Advisory Council into law. The legislation will be considered in the Senate Natural Resources Committee on April 21.

http://www.newarkpostonline.com/articles/2010/04/02/news/doc4bb5f2a5aa718076745276.txt