Explaining the Bottle Bill
The Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) was adopted in 1976 to define the role of the federal government in solid waste and resource management and recovery. As part of RCRA, the federal government intended to: 1) reduce solid waste and encourage recycling efforts by fostering collaboration between federal, state and local agencies as well as private entities, 2) promote public education regarding recycling and 3) establish solid waste management guidelines that encourage recycling for municipalities. (GAO 2006)
Local and state government agencies are mainly responsible for recycling programs, deciding what materials to collect, how to collect them, who collects and processes them, and how to conduct education and outreach programs. Some states require municipalities to operate recycling programs. Beverage container recycling programs, commonly referred to as “bottle bills,” are one important example.
Beverage Container Deposits
Bottle bills require deposits on beverage containers, such as bottles and cans, at the time of purchase. These deposits can be totally or partially recovered by individuals who recycle these containers. The first such bill was passed in Oregon in 1971. Eleven states currently operate bottle bill programs, and these states differ in how unredeemed deposits are dispersed. Most states allow consumers to return beverage containers to either retailers or participating recycling centers. A summary of each state’s deposit program is provided as follows:
- California (imposed September 29, 1986): A five-cent deposit is imposed on all eligible beverage containers. Unredeemed deposits are retained by a state-managed fund.
- Connecticut (April 12, 1978): A five-cent deposit is imposed on all eligible beverage containers. Unredeemed deposits are retained by distributors/bottlers.
- Delaware (June 30, 1982): A five-cent deposit is imposed on all eligible beverage containers. Unredeemed deposits are retained by distributors/bottlers.
- Hawaii (June 25, 2002): Distributors pay a five-cent per container deposit into a special state fund on a monthly basis. Distributors charge retailers the deposit on each container purchased by the retailer, and the retailer in turn charges the consumer the deposit. Unredeemed deposits are retained by a state-managed fund.
- Iowa (April 1978): At least a five-cent deposit is imposed on all eligible beverage containers. Unredeemed deposits are retained by distributors/bottlers.
- Maine (12 January 1976): A five-cent deposit is imposed on beer, soft drink, wine cooler, non-alcoholic carbonated and non-carbonated beverage containers, and a 15-cent deposit is imposed on wine and other liquor beverage containers. Unredeemed deposits are retained by the state General Fund.
- Massachusetts (January 1983): A five-cent deposit is imposed on all eligible beverage containers. Unredeemed deposits are retained by a state Clean Environment Fund.
- Michigan (November 2, 1976): A 10-cent deposit is imposed on all eligible beverage containers. Unredeemed deposits are retained at 75 percent by a state-managed fund and 25 percent by retailers.
- New York (June 15, 1982): At least a five-cent deposit is imposed on all eligible beverage containers. Unredeemed deposits are retained by distributors/bottlers.
- Oregon (July 2, 1971): A two-cent deposit is imposed on all standardized refillable beverage containers, and a 5-cent deposit is imposed on all non-standardized refillable beverage containers. Unredeemed deposits are retained by distributors/bottlers.
- Vermont (7 April 1972): A five-cent deposit is imposed on beer, malt, soft drink, mineral and soda water, and wine cooler beverage containers, and a 15-cent deposit is imposed on liquor beverage containers greater than 50 milliliters. Unredeemed deposits are retained by distributors/bottlers.
Those 11 states currently having bottle bill programs report higher recycling rates for beverage containers than states without such programs. California, for example, reported a 60 percent recycling rate for its beverage containers between January and December 2006; during that year, over 13 billion containers were recycled, which was 814 million more than the year prior.
California leads the nation in the total quantity of bottles and cans recycled. (DOC 2007) As well, states with deposit programs have generally maintained higher recycling rates for beverage containers than the U.S. average rate.
Bottle bill opponents call deposit requirements a “tax” fronted by taxpayers. However, one-way, throwaway, no-deposit, no-return beverage containers are a corporate subsidy, a hidden tax. Taxpayers absorb the cost of disposing of beverage containers. And many taxpayers absorb the costs of recycling beverage containers through curbside recycling programs.
When there is a refundable deposit on beverage containers, the consumers (not taxpayers) pay the deposit. The deposit is refunded if the container is returned. And the beverage distributors and bottlers absorb the cost of collection. They then chose whether or not to pass their costs on to their consumers. Because 70 percent or more of the deposit containers are returned, taxpayers pay less for disposal and less for litter pickup and less for curbside recycling.
National Recycling Program
Based on a recent report published by the General Accounting Office on municipal recycling, recycling stakeholders interviewed encouraged, as the second most frequently cited policy option, increasing municipal recycling via adoption of a federal bottle bill. The National Beverage Producer Responsibility Act of 2003 was introduced to the Senate, which referred the bill on November 14 to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.
The bill was introduced to the Committee three days later by Senator Jeffords (I-VT), but no action has as yet been taken on the bill.
Did You Know?
- Aluminum, discovered in the 1820s, is the most abundant metal on the planet.
- The average lifespan of a recycled aluminum can is 80 to 100 years. It can take 500 years for an aluminum can to degrade in a landfill!
- Americans throw away enough aluminum every three months to rebuild our country’s entire commercial air fleet.
- The oldest known examples of glass are Egyptian beads dating from 12,000 B.C.
- The average lifespan of a glass bottle disposed in a landfill is 1,000,000 years (Yes, one million years!!!). If recycled, a glass bottle can “live” indefinitely!
- Since 1980, the average weight of a glass container has been reduced by more than 10%.
- Plastic soda bottles were first used to package beverages in 1970, but it was not until the 1980s that the polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle became widely used. PET is a plastic resin and form of polyester. PET is the type of plastic labeled with the code on or near the bottom of bottles and containers. It is used to package soft drinks, water, juice, peanut butter and household cleaners, among other things. PET is a good choice for packaging because it is inexpensive, lightweight, shatter-resistant, resealable and recyclable.
- The average lifespan of a PET plastic bottle disposed in a landfill is 700 years.
- Recycling a ton of PET containers can save 7.4 cubic yards of landfill space.
- Examples of products derived from recycled bottles and cans include, but are certainly not limited to:
- Glass – Tile, fiberglass insulation, “glasphalt” for highway construction, home décor
- Aluminum – Baseball bats, pie plates, new soda and beverage containers, aluminum foil, license plates, home décor
- Plastic – Carpet, clothing (t-shirts, shoes, sweaters, coats), luggage, toy
- Bottle Bill Resource Guide, 2007 http://www.bottlebill.org.
- (01/01/1970). "Biannual Report of Beverage Container Sales, Returns, Redemption, and Recycling Rates." California Department of Conservation (DOC)
- (01/01/1970). "Waste and Opportunity: U.S. Beverage Container Recycling Scorecard and Report" Container Recycling Institute (CRI)
- (01/01/1970). "Additional Efforts Could Increase Municipal Recycling. Report No. GAO-07-37." General Accounting Office (GAO)
- Author Unknown. Green Gift Guide, 2007. http://www.greengiftguide.com/begreen_facts.php.
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Daniel Patton
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Craig Stock
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