Gathering Places
Gathering Places
Chances are that empty soda bottle in your hand will get a one-way ticket to the trashcan -- and then to the landfill or incinerator. Worse yet, it might be tossed in the Ala Wai. Bottle bill makes
sense for HawaiiA bill before the Legislature promises to change that. The container deposit law, or bottle bill, would place a monetary value yet to be decided on containers that would be redeemed when they are brought back for recycling. Increased recycling, cleaner beaches and roadways, and new businesses would result from passage of the bill.
A 30-year track record in other states proves this is promising.
A bottle bill would be the best way to increase recycling of the 800 million glass, plastic and aluminum drink containers emptied here each year. Bottle bills operating in 10 states have achieved an 80 percent recovery rate but the national rate for containers is only 38 percent. Recycling programs in Hawaii, such as voluntary drop-offs on Oahu, are capturing only 20 percent of recyclable materials. Even so, landfills are hitting their limits on Oahu and Kauai.
By offering a "reward" for every container, litter is converted from trash to treasure. Containers will likely be picked up and redeemedor they won't become litter in the first place. Empty containers frequently foul beaches and roadways.
The last Sierra Club clean up of Ala Wai Harbor netted nearly 1,000 glass and plastic bottles and aluminum cans in one morning. Reducing litter would improve safety in parks, beaches and roads. The Hawaii Bicycle League supports the bill to reduce the amount of broken glass along roadways, thereby reducing flat tires.
Recycling generates new jobs and products. Glass is used as an aggregate in asphalt or fill material. Aluminum can be used again and again. Plastic can be remanufactured into lumber that is water- and termite-proof. Some recyclers have expressed interest in recycling plastics on Oahu -- but only if they are guaranteed a steady supply of materials. With more drinks in plastic containers, the bottle bill will put them in business.
Nearly every state with deposit systems have gained in employment. In Maine, the container law has fostered 1,600 jobs with annual wages of $22.8 million.
In the Legislature, the bottle bill found support in four House committees and passed by the Senate. But the bill's days may be numbered if the retail and beverage industry have their way. Representatives of big beverage companies have been flying in lobbyists for the past few months. They would rather have taxpayers foot the bill for recycling, waste management and litter programs than taking responsibility themselves.
Currently, the beverage and retail industries get money from selling drinks, consumers get pleasure of the drink, and taxpayers are stuck with paying for the waste. Hawaii can do better. Bottle bills are proven tools to increase recycling and reduce litter.
State legislators have this option before them and should not throw it away.
Jeffrey Mikulina is director of
the Sierra Clu's Hawaii chapter.