National bottle bill awaits action (to include bottled water!) Yeah!!

[Breeze54]

National bottle bill awaits action

http://www.watertechonline.com/news.asp?N_ID=69483

Monday, March 24, 2008

WASHINGTON —

A recently introduced national bottle bill to promote the recycling of bottled water containers by offering a redemption of 5 cents recently was referred to a congressional subcommittee and awaits further action.

The bill, known as the Bottle Recycling Climate Protection Act of 2007 (HR 4238), is sponsored by US Rep.
Edward J. Markey, D-MA. He introduced HR 4238 in November, when it was then referred to the House Subcommittee on Environment and Hazardous Materials.

The bill, which currently has no US Senate companion, “would help move the nation toward a future of less
global-warming pollution by reducing the energy and related heat-trapping emissions needed to create the
materials used in new beverage containers,” Markey said in his introductory remarks on the measure.

Meanwhile, in Massachusetts, http://www.watertechonline.com/news.asp?N_ID=68524">a legislative effort to amend the state’s bottle redemption law to include a redemption fee
of 5 cents on non-carbonated drinks such as bottled water continues. The state’s Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy, recently tabled the measure for further study, according to a http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/03/24/coming_up_dry_on_bottles/?page=1">March 24 article in The Boston Globe.

In New York, there has been no legislative action on the http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/03/24/coming_up_dry_on_bottles/?page=1">Bigger Better Bottle Bill, which would expand the state’s
existing returnable container law to require a 5-cent refundable deposit; however, supporters continue to http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=674139&category=OPINION&newsdate=3/23/2008">advocate for its inclusion in the 2008-2009 state budget.

For information on HR 4238, http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?c110:1:./temp/~c1106OmB7C::">click here.

For related information on this story, http://www.watertechonline.com/keyword.asp?mode=2&keyword=bottle+bill">click here.

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:woohoo: Go Rep. Edward J. Markey, D-MA and get this bill passed!! :woohoo:

[Warpy]

1. We've got curbside recycling here in central NM

so it would be kind of a PIA here. It would be wonderful for the rest of the state, though.

I was there when Mass. got the bottle bill passed. Street trash dropped by a good 50% overnight.

[Breeze54]

3. Yup but now I have water bottles in my yard and I see them on the streets

and now my son has taken to buying cases of bottled water despite my protests and it pisses me off!
Such a waste of money and all those friggin' bottles taking up the trash and it's so silly, as we have
natural spring water in my town and you can buy a gallon at a time for .25 cents!! :grr: I think it's a
great idea to include bottled water and Hawaiian punch bottles too. Why they aren't included is because
they aren't carbonated. It makes no sense. :crazy: BTW? We have curbside recycling here in MA in every
town now too but it's or they are real persnickety about it being sorted.

[Trillo]

2. How does something like this work with one's local trash company?

We pay something like $25 per month for trash collection, additionally, we separate recyclables, which they mandate of us. I presume others around the country have similar realities.

Will the bill include provisions so that our disposal costs are reduced and or eliminated, since the trash company will be able to reap the deposit (5 cents) on each bottle, or is this something that primarily benefits them so they can keep disposal charges the same and collect the deposit?

[Breeze54]

4. You get your 5 or 10 cents back when you return them to the store.

I just returned 42 soda bottles to the store. They have machines that crush them and they spit out a receipt for the amount of money due back to you and then you take that to the customer service desk and they give you back your money. I got back $2.10 and it took me maybe ten minutes to recycle them.

[Trillo]

5. right, but that doesn't answer my directly phrased question, does it? nt

[Breeze54]

6. Well; it answered the part about how does it work.

And I think you are charged by how many recycling bins you put on the curb.

Why would I know everything about what your state charges and the fee's?

Perhaps you should look into that yourself? I don't pay for recycling

trash removal directly, as I rent an apt. We have a dumpster but I'm sure

the fee is included in my rent. I think every state handles it differently.

Tell me what you find out when you do. ;) I know my sister and brother pay

for special bags for trash PU and they're only allowed so many bags per PU.

The rate varies, depending on how many bags you require at your residence.

[Trillo]

7. So then you support some business welfare and corporate socialism.

Just say it. Be honest. It won't kill you.

We have a flat rate collection, with an upper limit. It's all that's offered in the area. The only option is to haul everything ourselves, but to where? To the same place, or to another disposal place even farther.

It wouldn't be hard to add language to the national bill that requires any trash company to offset service charges and bottle deposit fees they may receive from the bottles they collect, subject to public and transparent auditing.

[Breeze54]

9. Huh? Wtf? I support RECYCLING soda and water and juice bottles!

But if you are getting back your bottle deposit, why would the trash companies even be involved?

The bottles go back to the plastics companies and are RECYCLED.

[Trillo]

12. Yes, many of us do.

Our local trash company is supposed to be recycling the bottles, as their customers (we are one of them, duh) are required to pre-sort for them.

All I'm asking is that any additional money recyclers may make from collecting any deposit charges added nationally at a retail level would be refunded to the customers (verifiable by transparent auditing) or the same people who paid the deposit in the first place. Felt the squeeze of inflation lately? If it isn't done that way, then what ends up happening is that a retail deposit fee is collected, which is refunded at a wholesale level only, and that same refund doesn't filter back to the retail levels where it was originally charged, unless as you pointed out your recycling trash is self-hauled.

That was my point about corporate welfare. Small recycling companies end up capturing the deposit fee, and it doesn't necessarily get back to those who paid the deposit in the first place, unless mechanisms are explicitly provided for that in the bill.

[Breeze54]

14. Which is why I take them to the store and collect the $$ myself.

Then the middleman is eliminated.

As far as reducing your overall fee's?

You should attend a city/town council meeting and bring this up!

[Trillo]

16. I wonder how much gasoline you spend running to the store.

Even if you take them at the same time you go shopping, you lose some time waiting in line for your money.

If a deposit is going to be charged nationally, it makes sense that mechanisms are in the bill to refund that money to the same folks.

Ignoring the national bill to argue with the local chamber of commerce in county meetings is a curious place bring up a problem with a national bill. Do you think local leaders would laugh their asses off, or just keep a poker face and be laughing only inwardly?

[Breeze54]

17. I have a small skateboard car, 4 cyl's; and the store is 500 ft away.

:P

I put $10.00 gas in my car last week, and I still have a quarter tank.

I think if the people at the county or whomever laugh, then they should be replaced.

In MA, all the stores MUST accept returns and pay the deposits back to the customer.

[Warpy]

8. The trash company has less trash to cart to the landfill.

There is less litter on the street. Homeless folks have a way to earn a little cash by cleaning up what few containers are tossed away by clods who don't care.

Businesses in Mass. complained at first because they had to store returns for a day or two and they did mount up fast. However, the businesses were getting twice what they were paying out in returns and that mounted up as fast as the bottles and cans did, so they stopped complaining after the first two weeks.

I would imagine that here in NM the city trash collectors would collect from businesses and the city would oversee the sale of cans and bottles to recyclers, the way they do now with curbside recyclables.

Other places that don't have recycling would have to figure it out.

[Breeze54]

10. And the news said recycling business at recycle companies would increase by 30%.

That would be good news for those in that business and may also increase job opportunities. ;)

[Warpy]

11. The bottle bill was a great idea in Mass.

I missed it out here.

[Ordr]

13. I'm glad we've settled that whole Iraq debacle since congress has time to focus on this nonsense.

n/t

[Breeze54]

15. You make no sense. Can you walk and chew gum at the same time?

:shrug:

[avenger64]

18. Don't drink bottled water!

That's a better solution. There's no way all of that plastic is ever going to be recycled, and it's production leaves a huge footprint. Get a water filter and drink tap.