Letter to the Editor

Bottle deposit not easy solution to litter

I would like to supply some hard facts to counter the information in the recent column, "Bottle deposits could encourage recycling."

A recent study conducted by Keep America Beautiful, Litter in America, reveals that beverage containers make up 14.5 percent of litter (four inches and larger) on all U.S. roadways, while fast-food packaging, snack-food packaging, paper and miscellaneous plastic make up a combined 48.3 percent.

While a bottle deposit sounds like an easy solution, it is not. In the past 23 years, only one state (Hawaii) has adopted a container deposit law, while the state of Delaware repealed its decades-old bottle bill program this year in favor of a comprehensive recycling program. Deposit laws are outdated, costly, inefficient and counter-productive. As we all know, the consumer ultimately ends up footing the bill for costs such as redemption centers, equipment and handling.

More efficient systems that focus on all recyclables provide the least-costly way to keep materials out of our landfills. Zanesville residents have the opportunity to use convenient curbside recycling -- the best way to recycle all types of items -- and most families could recycle even more. Personal responsibility and targeted public education all can help reduce litter and its impact.

Thousands of Ohioans are working hard to reduce litter. Check out the Ohio Department of Natural Resources/Division of Recycling & Litter Prevention website (www.ohio odnr.com) to learn how the division is leveraging grant moneys to local organizations, including Keep America Beautiful affiliates, for volunteer cleanup activities each year. Together, we can make our communities litter-free.

John C. Matesich III
Zanesville

http://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/article/20100815/OPINION03/8150306