February 14th, 2011
Democratic Senator’s bill would establish a five-cent bottle bill in Washington
From Paben
A bill introduced by Democratic Sen. Maralyn Chase would establish a five-cent deposit on bottles in Washington. Click here to see the bill.
From the bill:
The legislature finds that beverage containers that are not recycled contribute to
Sen. Chase
unnecessary waste, including wasted raw materials such as glass, metals, and petroleum products, which take up scarce landfill space. The legislature finds that requiring a deposit on all beverage containers will provide a necessary incentive for the collection and recycling of such containers. The legislature further finds that the collection and recycling of raw materials is an economically efficient and environmentally benign action to reduce waste and increase available landfill space, collect reusable resources, encourage innovation of those resources, and improve the sustainability of Washington state.
Here is a little how it would work. You’d pay the five-cent deposit up front, and all retailers that sell bottles would be required to accept them and pay the deposit back. There are some exceptions, including:
• Any beverage container visibly containing or contaminated by a substance other than water, residue of the original contents, or ordinary dust.
• More than 144 cans or bottles returned by one person in one day, if the dealer occupies a space of 5,000 square feet or more (the number is lower for smaller retailers)
• Damaged bottles or cans
The bill was introduced last Friday and referred to the Senate Committee on Water, Environment and Energy.
Let me just say that, in college, this is how I paid for a lot of my beer. When the neighbor, Paul, gave me bags of bottles to return for the deposit, it was gross, nasty work (standing in front of the Safeway for hours while stinking old booze spilled out of bottles all over me), but I remember in one haul collecting something like $40 or so. In those days, that was really a lot of money.
That was in Oregon, which first passed a bottle bill in 1971, making it the first in the United States.
What do you think of this bill? If you support it, is five cents enough nowadays, or should it be bumped up to 10 cents? Given that voters last fall rejected tax increases on soda, do you think this idea has general support? In some places, smuggling is actually a problem (reminds me of the Seinfeld episode when Kramer and Newman try to take the bottles over the state line). Click here to see an article with a broad view of the smuggling issue. It seems to me that a 10-cent deposit would expose Washington to more risks of fraud.
Chase went on a spree of bill introductions related to consumer products, especially containers. Here are some of the other ones she has submitted, as compiled and reported by Washington Votes:
• Senate Bill 5779 (Prohibiting the use of styrofoam food containers and plastic food ware) Introduced by Sen. Maralyn Chase, (D-Shoreline) (D) on February 11, 2011, to prohibit, effective July 1, 2012. food service businesses from selling or providing food in expanded polystyrene food service products; and in or with disposable plastic food service ware. Acceptable alternatives for prohibited food service ware must be compostable or recyclable. Click here to see more.
• Senate Bill 5780 (Prohibiting non-recyclable retail store carryout bags) Introduced by Sen. Maralyn Chase, (D-Shoreline) (D) on February 11, 2011, to provide that retail stores may not provide a carryout bag for free or for charge to a consumer unless the carryout bag is either a compostable plastic carryout bag, a recyclable paper carryout bag, or a reusable carryout bag. A violation of this provision constitutes a civil infraction. Click here to see more.
• Senate Bill 5781 (Concerning petroleum-based beverage bottles) Introduced by Sen. Maralyn Chase, (D-Shoreline) (D) on February 11, 2011, to provide that effective January 1, 2013, no manufacturer, wholesaler, or retailer may manufacture, knowingly sell, offer for sale, distribute for sale, or distribute for use in this state any petroleum-based beverage bottle unless the bottle is compostable. “Petroleum-based beverage bottle” means a bottle made from a petroleum-based plastic not intended by the manufacturer to be a reusable container that is one and one-half liters in size or smaller and is marketed to contain a beverage. Click here to see more.
http://blogs.bellinghamherald.com/politics/environment/democratic-senators-bill-would-establish-a-five-cent-bottle-bill-in-washington/#ixzz1ERvcMV51
