March 16, 2011
WFSU
Senator says state should focus on recycling
TALLAHASSEE, FL (wfsu) - Not everything now taking place at the Florida Capitol is focused on the immediate moment. Tom Flanigan reports a number of lawmakers, industry and environmental groups are already looking ahead to next year.
In this case, the issue is one that has failed in the Florida Legislature many, MANY times before. It's the matter of requiring a beverage bottle deposit to encourage recycling. Eleven states now have such a law on the books. And St. Petersburg Republican State Senator Jack Latvala says he was all set to put the issue into the form of a bill this year.
"We decided that we would be better off doing a little more preparatory work, so the idea of asking for an interim study or a study of some sort by the legislative branches on this issue before we introduce a bill came about and that's what we're doing today."
That was the cue for Keith Zeig with the New York polling firm of McLaughlin and Associates to weigh in via speaker phone. In September his firm had survey just over five-hundred of likely voters in Florida to get their thoughts on the matter.
"Sixty-percent of voters believe it is very important for state government to provide better recycling programs in Florida."
Today, even though many communities in Florida have curbside pickup of recyclables, only about twenty percent of beverage containers that could be recycled are. Senator Latvala brought along some friends of the issue to his Wednesday morning media event. In keeping with the current trend of unlikely coalitions, it was made up of people who often don't agree on many things. One of them is Michael Smaha with Owens-Illinois, the nation's largest producer of glass beverage containers and the world's largest user of recycled glass.
"Recycled glass melts at a lower temperature than raw materials do and this helps our furnaces to run more efficiently. Thus we can reduce energy consumption and lower out emissions levels."
Dave Cullen with Sierra Club of Florida also picked up on that point, and threw in some other positives of his own.
"Recycling beverage containers saves energy and natural resources, reduces the need for new and expensive landfill space and it creates jobs. Container refund programs increase recycling rates and reduce costs communities face from cleaning up litter and unnecessary waste and every ton of beverage containers that are thrown away means another ton must be produced from virgin product."
Of course, it's not just glass bottles or aluminum cans that are the problem. A growing number of beverages, such as bottled water and soft drinks, are sold in plastic containers. Would their consumers also pay a deposit at time of purchase so they'd have more motivation to recycle? Republican State Representative Doug Holder from Sarasota County thinks they should.
"That would be something that I would like to see included in it and very well may be what my involvement is. I have a history in that industry and would like to aid in any way that I possibly can with that side of it, but that's a very valid point."
As far as the cash-strapped State of Florida is concerned, there's another valid point. Not everyone who pays a beverage container deposit returns the container and collects that deposit. David Hudson with Strategic Materials, a recycling company that operates in Sarasota and Jacksonville, says that amounts to big bucks.
"It would be a funding source for the State of Florida through surplus funds. It would result from unredeemed deposits. This will contribute between 100-million and 200-million dollars per year into the state's coffer without creation of a fee or a tax on its citizens."
And, as far as job creation goes, Hudson says, unlike so many parts of the country, Florida is ideally situated to reap the commercial benefit of an increased recyclable materials stream.
"There are tremendous markets for recyclables in the Southeastern U.S. in terms of glass, in terms of plastic and in terms of aluminum. The Southeastern U.S. in particular has a tremendous need for these materials. There are viable markets domestically for them as well, which I think is unique to our area of the country."
All this comes too late for the current legislative session, but it does give backers some more time to rally additional support for the cause. It could also give a head start to the traditional opponents of bottle bills, such as the soft drink, bottled water, beer and grocery industries, along with refuse haulers who'd like to tap a portion of whatever revenue is produced from the law.
http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wfsu/news.newsmain/article/0/0/1776562/WFSU.Local/Senator.says.state.should.focus.on.recycling
