March 11, 2010
Kansas City Star
We need to be green, instead of bottled up
The soda pop tax has about as much chance of passing the Kansas Legislature as there are calories in Coke Zero.
So drink up, free marketers. Save your “nanny state” disgust for the next perceived outrage — which I serve up today for your consideration:
The bottle bill. Kansas and Missouri ought to get on the green bandwagon and pass laws mandating deposits on all disposable drink containers.
No, there’s no serious attempt to pass a bottle bill in either state now. (A 2007-2008 Kansas effort didn’t even get a hearing.)
But as long as we’re discussing good ideas, this oldie but goodie came to mind in light of the pop tax proposal.
Eleven states now require retailers to charge customers a deposit — usually a dime or nickel — on each can or bottle of beer, pop or other carbonated beverage. Thirteen are considering similar legislation.
Missouri and Kansas are in neither club, but I’d like to see that change.
Of course, bottle bills do nothing to address the rising obesity rate or fatten the state general fund — the twin reasons some Kansas lawmakers give for supporting a 10-cent tax on nondiet carbonated drinks.
But bottle bills address other big concerns.
No. 1: Deposits cut down on litter, of which there’s plenty in Greater KC. But it’s more than a matter of aesthetics.
You know where most of those aluminum cans and plastic bottles cluttering curbs and clotting ditches end up, don’t you? They find their way into streams, via the storm sewers, and eventually into the oceans.
Ever heard of that floating trash heap known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch that is said to be the size of Texas? Think of it the next time you uncap your bottled water.
No. 2: Bottle bills reduce the amount of recyclable material that ends up in the landfill.
But, you ask, doesn’t curbside recycling already put a dent in that? Yes, but recycling participation ranges from enthusiastic in some neighborhoods to pathetic in others.
States with bottle bills — Iowa is one — report that the refundable deposit system supplements voluntary recycling by giving people an incentive to refrain from tossing empties in the trash or from the car.
And even if some people do have money to throw away, others are more than happy to turn trash into treasure by picking up and cashing in empties.
Just an idea. One I haven’t heard mentioned much in recent years in our area.
Maybe because our state representatives are smart enough to know that any bottle bill would face withering opposition from supermarket chains, convenience stores and beverage makers, including you know who in St. Louis.
However, to any lawmaker up for the fight, know this: You’ve got my support.
http://www.kansascity.com/2010/03/11/1806784/we-need-to-be-green-instead-of.html#ixzz0iMVRKKCA
