April 9, 2010
OR governor vetoes bill for central recycling centers
Plans for a unique container redemption program in Oregon were set back this week when Governor Ted Kulongoski vetoed House Bill 3704. That Kulongoski vetoed the measure was not a surprise — it had been rumored for weeks — but his veto statement that he was rejecting the bill because "the practical impact of this bill may actually hinder consumer recycling," left some in the world of Oregon recycling taken aback.
The bill would have allowed two or more beverage distributors to create cooperatives to create beverage container redemption centers around the state.
"I am concerned that the [redemption centers] will make it less convenient for the consumer to recycle," Kulongoski wrote in his veto statement, additionally stating that centers would "require the consumer to have a car, and requires more traveling to and from the redemption center, more time in traffic on our streets, more CO2 emissions, and more time away from home."
The bill was the result of a short legislative session — Oregon is one of only five states without an annual session, as its legislature convenes for a full session only every other year; however, that could change this November, when residents vote on whether or not to make the legislature meet annually.
The governor explicitly asks for a bill to be presented with an expansion of the state's bottle bill, of which will be presented to his successor following the regular session in 2011.
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