State legislature considers "bottle bill"
Allie Diffendal
Issue date: 3/26/08 Section: News/Features
The State Legislature will convene this month on a new "bottle bill" that, if passed, will allow Tennesseans to receive a 5 cent refund on all recycled cans and bottles in Tennessee. The bill, entitled the "Tennessee Beverage Container Deposit Act of 2007," would place a refundable deposit on beer, soft drinks, mineral water, bottled water, juices, teas and other drinks. Under the proposed bill, empty bottles meeting the specified criteria and marked "TN 5 cents" could be carried to state-certified redemption centers including convenience stores, mobile redemption centers, "reverse vending machines," or "microsites" (portable trailers) situated outside of grocery stores.
States with bottle bills have reported a decrease not only in refundable litter, but in other types of litter as well. Studies have reported an average decrease in beverage container litter of 78% and an average decrease in overall litter of 39%. Such studies of bottle bill states reveal that once people recycle for money, they begin to recycle habitually.
Researchers cite bottle bills as the most effective tool to permanently reduce litter. Maine, a bottle bill state, reports an average of 4 ounces of litter per person per year, while Tennessee reports and average of 4 pounds of litter per person per year. Researchers project that, based on redemption rates in states with comparable programs, a Tennessee bottle bill would increase container recycling rates by 85 percent.
Beverage containers make up the largest category of roadside litter, comprising 40 to 60 percent of all litter. Average annual consumption is 724 container beverages per person, per year - about two drinks per person per day. In states with bottle bills, the average person recycles 550 of these, or roughly 75 percent. In Tennessee, the average person recycles 72 containers per year, a mere 10 percent.
It's well known that increasing recycling rates conserves natural resources. Recycling aluminum cans, for instance, takes 95 percent less energy than making new ones. However, instigating this recycling bill would benefit more than the environment. The bottle bill would create new jobs in distribution, sorting, handling, and transporting recyclable materials. Michigan, for instance, has reported a gain of 4,648 jobs after it adopted its bottle bill. Tennessee is expected to create more than 800 businesses and up to 5,000 jobs with the proposed bill. People don't have to get a job at recycling facilities to benefit from the bottle bill financially, however. Lower income families can earn extra money by recycling bottles, industries can lower costs by using recycled containers, and non-profit organizations and schools can raise money through bottle drives - even fraternities can get cash for their empty beer cans.
States with bottle bills have reported a decrease not only in refundable litter, but in other types of litter as well. Studies have reported an average decrease in beverage container litter of 78% and an average decrease in overall litter of 39%. Such studies of bottle bill states reveal that once people recycle for money, they begin to recycle habitually.
Researchers cite bottle bills as the most effective tool to permanently reduce litter. Maine, a bottle bill state, reports an average of 4 ounces of litter per person per year, while Tennessee reports and average of 4 pounds of litter per person per year. Researchers project that, based on redemption rates in states with comparable programs, a Tennessee bottle bill would increase container recycling rates by 85 percent.
Beverage containers make up the largest category of roadside litter, comprising 40 to 60 percent of all litter. Average annual consumption is 724 container beverages per person, per year - about two drinks per person per day. In states with bottle bills, the average person recycles 550 of these, or roughly 75 percent. In Tennessee, the average person recycles 72 containers per year, a mere 10 percent.
It's well known that increasing recycling rates conserves natural resources. Recycling aluminum cans, for instance, takes 95 percent less energy than making new ones. However, instigating this recycling bill would benefit more than the environment. The bottle bill would create new jobs in distribution, sorting, handling, and transporting recyclable materials. Michigan, for instance, has reported a gain of 4,648 jobs after it adopted its bottle bill. Tennessee is expected to create more than 800 businesses and up to 5,000 jobs with the proposed bill. People don't have to get a job at recycling facilities to benefit from the bottle bill financially, however. Lower income families can earn extra money by recycling bottles, industries can lower costs by using recycled containers, and non-profit organizations and schools can raise money through bottle drives - even fraternities can get cash for their empty beer cans.
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