February 16, 2010
Deposit law good for Tennessee
Recycling centers would create jobs, clean up environment
I have previously discussed the problems with federal government programs that run the country deeper into debt. One of those proposals, cap and trade, purports to both create jobs and benefit the environment, despite evidence it would do neither.
But there is a way to create jobs and help the environment in Tennessee, and it doesn’t require federal handouts. I have led the charge to implement a statewide recycling program based on a 5-cent deposit on glass, plastic and aluminum beverage containers, which could then be returned to redemption centers to recoup the deposit.
Tennessee would pay nothing for the program. Beverage distributors would initially pay the deposit, but would recover it when selling their products to retailers. The deposits would continue to be passed along, and consumers would be able to recover 5 cents per container by returning them to redemption centers.
These centers would create hundreds of jobs for Tennesseans at a time when unemployment is greater than 10 percent. Redemption centers are expected to gross $100 million annually, meaning they would have good jobs with a good wage. Under the bill, centers can be run by entrepreneurs, stores, scrap yards, and nonprofit organizations. They could even be run by local governments to raise revenue, fund schools and keep property taxes low.
'Bottle bill'
At the same time revenue would increase, the “bottle bill” – as it is sometimes referred to in the legislature – would dramatically improve Tennessee’s environment. Currently only 10 percent of beverage containers are recycled in Tennessee. That rate would jump to 85 percent under the bottle bill, keeping an additional 3.4 billion containers out of our landfills and off our roadways. By recycling containers instead of producing new ones, Tennessee would reduce its dependence on foreign oil by more than a million barrels, and cut back on greenhouse gases by more than 100,000 metric tones.
Aluminum, glass and plastic trade groups want this program, because it increases recycling and improves the quality of scrap materials their members receive. The Tennessee Association of County Mayors enthusiastically supports the program, because it will create jobs and raise revenues. The Tennessee Farm Bureau wants the bill in order to cut back on dangerous litter on our farms. Public support for the legislation is overwhelming, and growing: A 2008 University of Tennessee poll showed 80 percent support for the bill; that figure rose to 83 percent in the fall 2009 MTSU Poll. If every piece of legislation we drew up had 83 percent approval, we could pass every bill and go home in a month.
Opponents to the bill have said the 5-cent deposit is a tax, and that supporting the program would be akin to raising taxes. They ignore the fact that beverage prices generally are lower in states with redemption centers, because companies can produce containers more cheaply with better materials gathered by the redemption centers.
The bottle bill lowers prices, creates jobs in a tough economy and cleans up our state, at no cost to taxpayers. It’s time for politicians to put their words into action and pass the bottle bill.
– Doug Jackson is a state senator who represents Dickson, Giles, Hickman, Humphreys, Lawrence, and Lewis counties.
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20100216/DICKSON07/100216048/2140/DICKSON07/Deposit+law+good+for+Tennessee++
