Bottle Bill Modernization

Their argument … our knowledge

Beverage containers amount to only a small  fraction of litter and solid waste

 The Association of Oregon Recyclers (AOR) 2004-2005 litter study showed:

• Non deposit containers are twice as likely to be littered in Lane, Marion,  and Multnomah Counties than are containers without an Oregon deposit.

• Beverage containers were found to account for 13% by weight of ODOT’s roadside litter collection programs.

• Beverage containers were found to account for 14% by weight of trash collected from municipal parks in Lane and Marion Counties.

 AOR TIP:  Beware litter studies which cite an organization called Keep America Beautiful…this is an organization supported by Coca Cola and other large beverage manufacturers who are well known opponents ANY effort to implement or improve container deposit legislation.

Curbside (sometimes referred to as “comprehensive) recycling is the answer

The Oregon Refuse and Recycling Association presented the following information to the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission:

• According to the DEQ, the tonnage of rigid plastic containers collected curbside between 1993-2005 has increased by over 250% while deposit container collection has actually dropped.

• Recycling collection is dependent on local government set service standards with rates established by local government.

• 100% of Oregon communities of over 4000 people have recycling programs in compliance with the law, and based on the most recent DEQ report from 2005, Oregon’s waste recovery rate is at 49.1%, on track a goal to reach 50% by the year 2009.

• Over 85% of curbside collected material in Oregon is transported to and processed in the Portland region.

AOR TIP:  Beware the program referred to as RecycleBank.  It’s a Philelphia based program that did improve residential recycling rates in a city that had no curbside program to begin with.  It would do nothing to provide recycling programs for stadiums, parks, or public buildings.  It awards people with coupons for consuming more stuff…most of which ends up as garbage we’ll pay more to dispose of. 

Any modernized bottle bill is going to create an expensive bureaucratic mess

 State and Local Governments have their hands full with current curbside recycling related issues:

• Most municipalities already require costly programs that keep glass containers separate from other recycling and collected by a separate vehicle.

• The lower than 25% rigid plastic container recycling rate is requiring that DEQ implement a sweeping new set of rules for consumer product manufacturers.

• DEQ does not currently provide any permitting mechanism or established regulatory guidance relating to the processing of curbside collected recyclables in Oregon.

• In 2009 strict new rules related to capping the total amount of refuse generated in Oregon come into play. 

 AOR TIP:  Senate Bill 436 establishes a Bottle Bill Board appointed by the Governor.  It would have rulemaking authority and be able to contract a wide variety of services to private firms.  Just as the Oregon Energy Trust is a private firm carrying out a public benefit (energy conservation) at no additional cost to taxpayers, so too will the funding mechanism under SB 436 improve recycling.