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Litter along roadsides shows need for bottle bill I started running in May 1968, accumulating some 50,000 miles on foot and 60,000 on my bicycle to date, on most of the public streets and highways of Knox County, where we have no bottle bill. I have seen more glass bottles - broken and whole - littering the roadside than you can imagine. It is the most pervasive component of litter. Experience in states that have bottle bills has shown that such litter is virtually eliminated. Promoting curbside and drop-off recycling centers is not an either/or concept as suggested by a reader Dec. 18. These programs are complementary, and both are greatly needed. Bicycle tour shows support for recycling I was armed with plenty of good arguments: The projected eight-fold increase in Tennessee's container recycling rates. The boost to major manufacturers, from carpet makers to fiberglass companies, that rely on the recycled scrap. The dramatic reduction in roadside litter, coupled with a huge increase in funding for litter education and prison litter crews - as well as an end to Tennessee's 25-year-old litter taxes. Lucrative fundraising tools, especially the popular bottle drives that can net several thousand dollars in a single day. The hundreds of new businesses, from mom-and-pop redemption centers to high-tech electronic sorting systems. The reduced demand on landfills, the decrease in greenhouse gas emissions and the savings in energy, oil and other natural resources. As it turned out, I rarely got to use all these arguments. Most people I met were already predisposed toward a bottle bill. They deplored the waste, and they were fed up with the litter. They understood the costs, did not mind the trouble and considered the rewards to be well worth the effort. Almost everyone remembered the days when a few minutes spent picking up glass bottles could mean a pass to a movie or a new set of baseball cards. For them, a return to returnables had an almost nostalgic appeal. The more folks I talked to, in fact, the more I realized that here was the single most compelling argument for a Tennessee bottle bill: the fact that an overwhelming majority of Tennesseans wants such legislation. Opinion polls typically show 70 percent to 75 percent of the public supports a container deposit, but out here, talking face to face with that public, I was finding the ratio closer to 90 percent. And keep in mind, in the course of 855 miles and 26 days, I encountered a broad cross-section of Tennessee's citizenry. There was the Rev. Stanley Shrum of Tracy City, for instance, a tall, dignified octogenarian enjoying Sunday lunch at the Dutch Maid Bakery and Cafe on Monteagle Mountain. There was Deana Storey, a waitress at Bill's Catfish & Pizza in Joelton, and Elaine Newman, innkeeper of the lovely Majestic Mansion Bed & Breakfast just off the town square in Athens. There was Tommy Campbell, owner of Tom Cat's Sports Bar in Millington; Linda White, an accountant in Chattanooga; Larry Fuller, a carpenter in Savannah; Jean Ross, head housekeeper at the Hospitality House in Martin; and Ron Watson, an auto mechanic I met when I stopped for a red light in Memphis. There were Don and Juanita Casey, retired school principals now living in Tellico Village, whom I met at the Court Cafe on Kingston Pike; Ernest Cook and Jerry Swinney, Weakley County farmers who were finishing their breakfast at TJ's in Dresden; Mark Benko of Greeneville, a businessman and avid duck hunter; Donna Ward, mother of five small children, selling the outgrown kids' clothes from her front yard in Halls; Margaret Feierabend and Fred Testa, members of the Bristol City Council; and Kelly Hamm, manager of West Bicycles in Farragut, who fixed the strange noise coming from my bicycle chain. I found strong support even among small grocers, a group traditionally assumed to hate container deposits. Yet here were people like Troy Grantham, owner of Grantham's 100 Market in Toone; Jo and Harlan Olson, owners of Paris Landing General Store on Kentucky Lake; and Richard Griswold, owner of Richie's Market in Monteagle, all wanting to know more. They not only liked the bill on principle; they were interested in the possibility of opening their own redemption centers, partly as a service to their customers but mainly as a way to increase profits. Under the bill, redemption centers will earn a handling fee of 3 cents for each container. This fee, collected by the state from the beverage distributors, helps cover the cost of recapturing nearly 4 billion containers a year and making sure they are returned to the manufacturing stream. So forget, for the moment, the enormous, proven benefits of this bill. Forget, even, that one of the chief beneficiaries will be the beverage industry, which has long struggled, mostly in vain, to boost recycling rates for its containers and so hold down the cost of making new ones. The over-arching point is this: When a substantial, consistent and informed majority of ordinary Tennesseans declares that it wants a container deposit - when even former opponents begin lining up in its favor - it's time for Tennessee's legislators to pass it. And if the legislators aren't sure that it's their constituents who are doing the speaking, then I suggest - respectfully - that they go talk to them in person. I can recommend a good bicycle. 'Bottle bill' could give us Pride of Place Marge Davis shouldn't have to ride across Tennessee to spread the word about Pride of Place, a litter and recycling plan that could be made possible by a five-cent deposit on glass, plastic and aluminum beverage containers. But if that's what it takes to shine light on such a worthy cause, then we support Davis in her trek from Memphis to Bristol The state Legislature should take notice of her effort and pass the "bottle bill" in the next election because it could do more to preserve energy and cut down on our throwaway mentality than any initiative we've seen in many years. If it takes effect, Davis said 85 percent of the 4.2 billion beverage containers used annually across Tennessee would be recycled. That's a dramatic increase from the 10 percent now being recycled. The legislation sponsored last year by Sen. Doug Jackson, D-Dickson, and Mike Turner, D-Old Hickory, would affect some 200,000 tons of beverage containers each year. We encourage the Rutherford County legislative delegation to get behind it. That's an astounding amount of trash that would be removed from the sides of our highways and kept out of our landfills. The bill ran into trouble last year because retailers and bottling companies complained that they'd be forced to handle, transport and sort bottles. The legislation, however, would set up independent drop-off centers for bottles and cans where independent recycling companies would collect and transport them. This is a smart pieces of legislation. Finally, somebody has come up with a plan that will preserve natural resources, such as the petroleum that goes into plastic, and encourage people to recycle. Drink containers are a huge problem in our society. Consider the number of bottles of sports drinks and water emptied at last week's TSSAA state volleyball tournament in Murfreesboro. We'd bet they numbered in the thousands, and many of them will wind up in the landfill. In our society, it is obvious that people need financial incentive to do some things. Most people over 40 remember when they used to walk or ride their bicycles all over town looking for returnable soft drink bottles they could turn in for a nickel or dime. The Southern rock group Lynyrd Skynyrd sang about talked about it in "The Ballad of Curtis Lowe." Once again, kids could be scouring neighborhoods looking for a few bottles to turn in for money. We look forward to reviving those days. This could even turn into a money-maker for local schools that collect bottles. It would certainly beat blackmailing parents to give students money so they can participate in fall festivals, but that's another issue. We hope Marge Davis finds smooth roads in her ride across the state because her effort should add some Pride of Place to Tennessee. Pedaling for bottles "My goal is to get on my bike and make a little spectacle of myself," she said with a laugh. She also has a serious intention - to push for a state bottle deposit bill, which she said will help solve the problem of bottle and can litter. The bill Davis is endorsing - the Tennessee Beverage Container Deposit Act of 2007 (HB 1829/SB 1408) - would require that a 5-cent deposit charge be added to the cost of a plastic or glass bottle or aluminum can. The money, however, would be refunded after the container is returned to a reclamation center. The bill, which also calls for payment to reclamation centers for handling costs, should create more money for statewide litter pickup programs than currently exists, she said. Most importantly, however, such financial incentives should save valuable landfill space and increase the number of containers being recycled, Davis said. "What I have found on my bicycle rides is that Tennesseans understand this," she said. "At least nine out of 10 people I talk to are so ready for this, and this is the message I am trying to give the legislators." The biggest fear of the bill among some is that the price of beverages might increase. But Davis said that the bill would remove the litter tax on beer and soda that was passed in the 1980s, so the cost to consumers should not increase. Davis said some states, such as her native Maine, have had similar laws for years and have had positive results. "The public supports it to the tune of 90 percent," she said. "The recycling rates are about eight times higher." Although she coordinates Scenic Tennessee's all-volunteer Pride of Place program, Davis decided to undertake the unusual awareness campaign on her own last spring while walking her dog. "It was a way to make people pay attention," she said. From Oct. 6-18, she biked 450 miles from Nashville to Memphis and back through Union City and Clarksville. The Mount Juliet resident left on her current trip Oct. 20 and plans to reach Bristol on Halloween. On Friday, she took time to meet her husband, Paul Davis, whose work took him to Knoxville. "He has been very supportive, even though he thinks it is a little kooky," she said. A number of other people have sometimes looked twice at her after seeing her unusual wagon, but they usually understand what her aim is after reading her pro-bottle bill, anti-litter signs on her wagon, she said. She also has been profiled numerous times in the media, so some people have honked their car horns after recognizing her, she added. Davis also has met with groups, such as garden clubs, and has often spent the night with friends. "People have been extremely, extremely nice and supportive," she said. Cyclist rides bicycle to promote recycling The 2007 Pride of Place Bicycle Tour passed through Cleveland Tuesday traveling toward Knoxville to Johnson City before ending its last leg in Bristol. Braving sheets of rain, turbulent winds from passing vehicles, steep hills and health concerns, a lone bicycle rider, POP Coordinator Marge Davis, is trekking 800 miles throughout Tennessee to raise awareness of Senate Bill 1408 and House Bill 1829. The Tennessee Beverage Container Deposit Act for 2008 proposes to reduce litter and increase recycling by putting a five cent, refundable deposit on glass, plastic and aluminum beverage containers. Davis, who has a Ph.D. in English, said her Bottle Bill bike ride, started on Oct. 6, is raising visibility for the bill and giving her an opportunity to explain its many benefits to Tennesseans. “This is a fantastic piece of legislation commonly known as the Bottle Bill,” Davis said. “I’m working on this with legislators who are sponsoring it, raising grass roots support and providing education on the subject. The bill is gaining ground. This is going to create jobs and businesses.” According to Davis, discarded bottles and cans are the number one source of litter in Tennessee, comprising roughly half of Tennessee’s litter by volume and even more by weight. “A five cent deposit will eliminate 80 to 90 percent of this portion of litter and result in a 40 percent reduction of litter at the least,” said Davis. “The bill will double the amount of money Tennessee counties are receiving for litter control. It will also generate millions of dollars each year for schools, churches, homeless shelters, little leagues and other community groups through bottle drives and collection programs.” Davis said the benefits of Pride of Place, a litter and recycling solution made possible by the Tennessee bottle bill, will include recycling almost 4 billion empty beer bottles, soda cans, water bottles and other beverage containers which will be an 800 percent increase over current container recycling rates and provide funds to promote more recycling. “Money from any unredeemed deposits can be used to pay for inmate litter crews, education and Keep Tennessee Beautiful. It’s really a materials recovery bill. We’re projecting 85 percent of all those billions of containers will be recovered under this bill.” Davis said the roads in Wilson County are badly littered and is a primary reason why she is so passionate about bringing the Bottle Bill to reality. “Eleven states are already doing it. We drink 4.2 billion beverages a year that would be covered under this bill. Every Tennessean drinks an average of 2 beverages a day but we throw away 90 percent of the empties. This bill can turn these empties into cash with the exception of straight wine, straight liquor and milk. They’re not covered under the bill,” she said. Tennessee farmers will save millions of dollars in damages to equipment and even livestock who injure themselves eating broken glass, according to Davis. “We’re asking communities to call their senator and state representative today and urge them to vote for this bill. This is certainly the most I’ve ever been involved in legislation, but it’s worth it if we can restore pride to our communities." Bottle deposit could reduce trash problem Eight years ago a brave woman walked 3,200 miles, from California to Washington, D.C., to take a message to Congress on a matter of great importance. She was concerned about “the buying of our government,” about distortion in politics and national values through big-money interests. “Genteel actions,” as when citizens contact lawmakers or petition the government, she had come to feel, were “not achieving anything.” The influence of money in politics would need to be drastically reduced, through campaign finance reform, and her dramatic action in the trek to Washington might encourage people to demand it. The small, slender woman with flowery hat, Granny D, was 90 years old by the time she made it to the Capitol. [Arrested there for disturbing the peace, a judge’s verdict saved her from doing time in prison.] A Tennessee woman embarked this month on a similar journey to highlight a cause, dear to her and to most Tennesseans but stymied in the Legislature through big-money lobbying. On October 6 Marge Davis began a bicycle trek to the four corners of the state, from Nashville to Memphis and thence, via Chattanooga and Knoxville to the eastern part, to end in Bristol on the 31st. Her cause: to end the litter that defaces roadsides, parks and other public places, and the landscape practically everywhere there are roads, through the “Tennessee bottle bill.” As already in place in eleven other states, it would offer the monetary incentive of deposit return for taking soft drink and other beverage containers to redemption centers. In earlier decades in Tennessee, households routinely returned milk and other glass containers, and children might turn in Coke bottles for “candy money.” In the early 1980’s, however, legislative efforts for a wider container bill, to enhance rate of materials recycling in the state, failed due to fierce resistance from beverageindustry lobbyists. Instead of effective litter prevention through the deposit incentive, the Legislature then established a fund for litter collection. Paid for through a tax on soft drinks and beer, the County Litter Grants program in place since 1982 pays detention center crews along our road ways to remove the containers and other trash that so copiously get deposited there. [The bottle bill, promoted by its legislative proponents with a campaign to foster “Pride of Place” and environmental responsibility, would retain and provide even higher funding for county litter grants programs.] The tax is invisible when you buy that Mountain Dew or other soft drink or beer, the littered roads are an eyesore and give Tennessee a bad reputation among tourism promoters. In states with deposit laws, return of 90 percent or more of the containers, and corresponding lack of defilement of the landscape through them, are the norm. Granny D saw the campaign finance reform bill enacted in Washington. On her tour through the country, she reported being greeted “almost always with a smile and with warmth.” One wishes likewise for Ms Davis –success in her cause and friendly support on her bicycle journey Cyclist rides to promote recycle bill Marge Davis is preparing to pedal more than 800 miles in the name of recycling. "My ultimate goal is that in a year or two, people will drive down Tennessee roads and say, 'Wow. The roads look so much cleaner,' " Davis said. Here's how the bill would work: the state collects 8 cents from a vendor, who gets a nickel back from the stores that sell their beverages. Customers pay the 5-cent deposit to the store when they buy the drinks, and they can return their empty containers and claim their deposit at a redemption center. The state pays the center back with money collected from the bottlers. The 3 cents that the vendor is down on every bottle and can — as well as the state's beer lobby — is a big reason the bill hasn't passed, Davis said. "They call it a tax," Davis said. "But don't you wish all taxes were completely refundable for citizens?" Tennessee should have plastic bottle recycling The great state of Tennessee, bowing to pressure from special interest groups, has no plastic bottle recycling deposit. Tennesseans have become tolerant of our beautiful state being turned into a garbage dump. Tennessee is always years behind any progressive legislation. Why do our legislators prefer to support special interest groups instead of the people who live in this state? Tennessee’s litter problem is shameful Tennessee: The litter capital of the United States. We ought to be ashamed. Trash Tax As coordinator of Tennessee's effort to clean up litter and increase recycling by enacting a container deposit, I appreciate that the Metro Pulse has taken an interest in the proposed “bottle bill.” However, I groaned aloud when I read reporter Leslie Wylie's statement that “if the bottle bill was put in place, ... county litter grants would be discontinued.” In fact, Section 26 (1) of the proposed bill (SB1408, HB1829) makes it explicitly clear that the litter grants will continue under this bill: “Ten million dollars [of the unclaimed deposits] shall be allocated to the department of transportation, to be used exclusively for the continued funding of the existing County Litter Grants program provided for in Tennessee Code Annotated.” This is in fact a doubling of the litter grants' current annual funding of around $5 million. The only other difference is that instead of the money coming from “litter taxes” on beer and soda, the money would now come from the estimated 15 percent of containers that won't be turned in for the deposit. These taxes, created in 1980 at the urging of the beverage companies as an alternative to a proposed container deposit, would be eliminated. Everything else about the litter grants will remain unchanged, with the funding still used for litter pickups, litter education and Keep Tennessee Beautiful affiliates—including Keep Knoxville Beautiful. Given that this bill is gaining ground in the General Assembly (14 sponsors so far), I am heartily sorry that this misstatement made it into print. Bottle Bill Bottleneck The debate continues over whether financial incentives should be used to motivate Tennesseans to recycle. A tall, thin line of type along the edge of the Blue Moon label lists a handful of states offering 5- or 10-cent refunds for the bottle's recycling. The small print on the Dasani label lists a couple as well, alongside a Please Recycle insignia. At present, 11 U.S. states have so-called “bottle bills” in place that offer monetary incentives to consumers who return beer, soft drink and other beverage containers to redemption centers. There's a movement to get Tennessee on board as the 12th. According to Marge Davis, coordinator of the Tennessee Bottle Bill Project, Tennessee annually produces 4.2 billion, or 230,000 tons, of potentially recyclable containers. A bottle bill, she explains, would reduce beverage-container litter by 80 to 90 percent. She points to the success other states have had with bottle bills, such as Maine, which passed its bottle bill in 1976. According to the Tennessee Bottle Bills Project's calculations, the residents of that state produce less than one-tenth of the litter produced by the residents of Tennessee. “The recycling ethic is much higher in states with bottle bills,” Davis says, citing the average municipal recycling rate for the 11 states with bottle bills as 31 percent, compared to 20 percent for the 39 states without a deposit. “Their litter rate is a tiny fraction of ours. The stuff that is on the roadside disappears under the bottle bill. Maine barely has an adopt-a-highway program at all.” But for Tennessee to have a bottle bill program in place, one must first be passed through the state Legislature. And bottle bill legislation, which has been reintroduced to the Legislature nearly annually for decades, still doesn't look to be going anywhere anytime soon—but supporters aren't deterred. “The bill is still alive,” Davis says, referring to the Tennessee Beverage Container Deposit Act of 2007. The Senate version, SB1408, sponsored by Sen. Doug Jackson, and the House version, HB1829, sponsored by Rep. Mike Turner, would allow a 5-cent deposit on glass, plastic and aluminum/metal containers of two liters and less, with the containers being returned to independent redemption centers that would retain a 3-cent handling fee per container, paid by the beverage distributor. But there'll be no passage of the bill this year, at least, as it was rolled to 2008 earlier in the year. And according to the bill's opponents, there's no guarantee it'll pass next year, either. Keep Knoxville Beautiful Executive Director Tom Salter is one of several who question the bill's ability to minimize Tennessee's litter problem. “Litter is a lot of things besides bottles and cans,” he says. “If you look in the water, you'll see bottles and cans because they float, but if you look on the roadside, you'll see a lot of other stuff.” He warns against thinking of the bottle bill as a silver bullet, favoring instead a comprehensive approach to litter control that includes public education, litter cleanups and stricter enforcement of litter ordinances. He points out all of the other recyclable materials the bill overlooks, including what he calls “the biggest offender: paper,” and suggests that they be taken into account as well. “Is it worth it as a recycling program? Do we want to incentivize bottles and cans, or do we want to incentivize other materials as well? If we're going to use financial leverage to get people to recycle, let's go all the way.” Which sounds easy enough in theory, but translating the theory into reality takes money, and lots of it. “It think what the debate centers on is what do you get for the money,” Salter says. “There was no support in the Legislature simply because of the financial size of the bill, and it only deals with a small amount of the material out there…. The bottle bill would help with litter, but how much? I don't know, and do I want to say it's worth it? I would probably say no.” Davis argues otherwise. Such a law, she says, would replace the current funding, which amounts to approximately $5 million annually from county litter grants used to fund programs such as litter education, Keep Tennessee Beautiful, and prisoner litter crews, with $10 million in deposits from unclaimed deposits. If the bottle bill was put in place, such county litter grants would be discontinued, and Davis says she thinks that's why organizations such as Keep Knoxville Beautiful aren't supportive of the bill. “Every argument we have, Tom Salter has a response,” Davis says. She accuses him of putting up unsigned anti-bottle bill websites, and of making fun of her on his Keep Knoxville Beautiful blog. “It wasn't nice.” But Davis remains hopeful that the bottle bill will pass, eventually. Until it goes back in front of the Legislature in 2008, she says the Bottle Bill Project will focus on “public education, making people across the state aware of it and helping them understand how it functions.” State's litter should disgust everyone In response to Kate Cywinski's letter April 17 — she could not have said it better ("Tennessee becoming the 'land of litter'"). I moved to Tennessee in 1975 and was appalled by the total disregard for the natural beauty of this state. I often wondered if, when the state department of tourism takes pictures to promote visitors, it sends an up-front crew out to pick up litter. I visited Fall Creek Falls last year and hiked to the pool below. The natural beauty was breathtaking - the litter was disgusting. I once asked a person who was littering why he continued to do this and his reply was, "It gives someone a job." What if, for three years, TDOT, civic organizations and crews from county jails did not pick up litter? Would the question be, who is supposed to clean this up, or why do we keep allowing it to happen? Tennessee becoming the 'land of litter' (excerpt) I always imagined Tennessee as breathtaking waterfalls amidst lush, tree-covered mountains — so I was excited to move to Nashville last January. I've explored a number of state parks and the Great Smoky Mountains, and I discovered that Tennessee does have many beautiful features. But to my dismay, Tennessee's beauty is diminished by the bottles, papers, cans, garbage bags and cigarette butts lining the streets, highways and trails. I've visited all but two states, and I have never seen so much garbage. Tennessee license plates might as well read, "The Land of Litter." Lebanon group endorses bottle bill A three-year campaign to bring back beverage container deposits led by Mt. Juliet resident Marge Davis got a local boost last week. The Lebanon Beautification Commission voted unanimously to endorse Davis’ proposal, which would see a nickel deposit added to the price of soda, beer, bottled water and other drinks. When the containers are recycled, the five cents would be returned to whoever brings them in. Davis’ organization, Pride of Place, says that deposits would help to raise Tennessee’s lagging recycling rates and keep litter off the roads. Lebanon Beautification Commission chair Patsy Anderson said the bottle deposit plan fit right into her group’s mission to clean up Lebanon streets. “We work very much in that area anyway, so when I saw the write up in the paper, I decided to invite Marge to come and speak to us,” Anderson said, referring to a March 26 article in The Lebanon Democrat about Davis. “[The commission] was excited to get on board and support this,” she added. On April 2, Anderson dispatched a letter to the members of the Wilson County legislative delegation urging their support for the so-called “bottle bill” in the General Assembly. “Progressive steps, no matter how large to small we can take in protecting our environment and keeping our world clean and healthy should be one of our top priorities,” the letter states. “The bottle bill is a step in this direction.” One member of that delegation, Lebanon Rep. Stratton Bone, said he hadn’t seen the letter yet but added that he supported the ideals behind the bottle bill. Bone recalled his childhood, when Tennessee’s two cent bottle deposit was the ticket to a candy windfall for the future legislator. Today, Bone’s admitted interest in the bottle bill is more about a clean environment than a pocket full of sweets. “I’m very supportive of cleaning up the roads. I don’t know all the details of the bill, but I do support the concept behind it,” Bone said. “Of course, if people wouldn’t throw trash out the window we wouldn’t be facing this problem in the first place.” In the past, the bottle bill has not been well received at the capitol. The beverage industry is strongly against it, saying that an additional three-cent fee charged to bottlers included in the bill would cut into profits and raise prices. This year, Davis says the bill is enjoying more support. She counts at least 10 sponsors for the legislation, more than ever before. But Davis says the bottle bill likely faces an uphill battle in the legislature. She said that endorsements like the one from the Lebanon commission could be a big help. “It’s really a matter of educating one group and one legislator at a time,” Davis said. “I am really pleased with the [Lebanon commission] vote.” Mt. Juliet woman continues fight for ‘bottle bill’ When it comes to the nickel, Marge Davis is always willing to giver her two cents. “The big motivation is the preposterous amount of litter,” Davis remarked from her Mt. Juliet home. “This state is beautiful, but the roads are just big trash piles.” Davis heads up Pride Of Place, an advocacy group calling for a five-cent deposit on beverage containers sold in Tennessee. According to POP, the chance to get a nickel back on every beer can and soda bottle will drive Tennesseans to stop pitching their empties out the window and help keep the state's roads clean of litter. Over the past five years, “the bottle bill" – as Davis's plan is known in the halls of the capitol – has been a mainstay of the legislative agenda, popping up and usually going nowhere. Last year was one of the better sessions for the bill – it actually made it all the way to a House committee hearing, the last hurdle before getting the chance at an up or down floor vote. The bottle bill got one vote, from Rep. Ben West. This year, Davis thinks things are going to be different. “There’s been a seismic shift in people’s attitudes toward this bill this year," Davis said. She recently spent a day in Nashville lobbying for the bottle bill on behalf of the 500 supporters she says makes up the membership of POP. Where legislators have in the past been wary of a bill that would – at its most basic – add a nickel to the price of every Coke, Pepsi or Budweiser purchased by thirsty customers statewide, Davis says the recent return to environmental awareness has opened the door for the bottle bill like never before. The loudest resistance to bottle bills across the nation has always been large beverage producing companies. They worry that the additional price of a beverage deposit will require them to lower prices to stay competitive – not to mention trim their profits in the process. Davis says that as Americans have become more concerned about recycling and the climactic effects of the country's disposable economy, the beverage industry's concerns about bottle bills have fallen on increasingly deaf ears. "They're still somewhat supportive of their beverage-producing constituents," Davis said of state lawmakers. "But they're coming around to understanding that people need to change their business practices just a little bit to help improve our environment." According to POP's research a bottle bill would certainly go a long way toward improving Tennessee's recycling rates, which rank among the lowest in the nation. In states that have beverage container deposit programs (found mostly in the Northeast), recycling rates for aluminum and glass can reach above 80 percent. In Tennessee, the number is 10 percent. Davis says the chance to get cash back for recyclables would raise that number in no time. "Hawaii came up to a 90 percent [recycling rate] in its first year after passing a bottle bill," Davis said. "I'm sure we would have a similar result here." The bottle bill is expected to go before a state House subcommittee sometime this week. Though Davis has more sponsors for her legislation than ever before, none of Wilson County's legislative delegation has signed on to the plan. Both of the county's House members, Rep. Susan Lynn (R – Mt. Juliet) and Rep. Stratton Bone (D – Lebanon), said that they are waiting to see if the bill survives in committee before issuing official positions on it. Though she sees a bright future for the bottle bill, Davis said she's prepared to get disappointed yet again. "Some people get discouraged; I haven't gotten discouraged yet," she said. "I mean this is the twenty-first century – to use a product only once is like throwing a shirt away after you've worn it for the first time. It just doesn't make any sense." Bust litter with container deposit law In response to the Feb. 2 letter regarding the trash in the lower Wolf River ("Superfund site on the Wolf?"): One effective way to reduce litter in our waterways and litter in general would be to put a 10-cent deposit value on all drink containers. Doing so would provide an economic incentive to not litter and would make it worthwhile to pick up discarded drink containers to redeem the deposit. Superfund site on the Wolf? (excerpt)
In his March 5 letter, Tom Salter, director of Keep Knoxville Beautiful, objected to the proposed Tennessee bottle bill, believing instead that curbside recycling pick-up will solve our roadside trash problem. I understand that Keep Knoxville Beautiful currently receives funding from the bottling industry, which opposes the bottle bill. A vested interest in keeping things as they are? Regardless, I disagree with Salter's premise that curbside recycling is the answer. While that might work in a city, there are no curbs in rural areas, where much of the trash is left. Over the past four years, some 400 volunteers have picked up approximately 45 tons of trash from the Tellico Lake watershed. In my experience with this project, bottles and cans are much closer to 75 percent of the discarded trash, not the 5 percent Salter claims. While a 5- or 10-cent deposit may not be enough to stop all tossing of bottles and cans, other states have found a dramatic reduction in roadside trash after they enacted bottle laws. Yes, there were some initial objections, but those soon subsided. Now, few bottles and cans remain along roads, and those that do are often picked up by enterprising youth or people who can use the money. Tennesseans are rightfully proud of their state. Ironically, many do not show respect for this beautiful environment by helping to keep it clean. Organizations such as Keep Knoxville Beautiful can provide an important service, not by opposing clean-up efforts but by helping educate citizens of all ages about ways each person can help. Does Salter have any idea how much good that kind of public service could do for the entire area? For starters, it could eliminate the need for hundreds of volunteers to pick up trash every year if everyone using these areas would pick up just one item and take it home with them for curbside pickup. Bottle bill would produce yet another tax for state By any other name, a tax is a tax. When considering the merits of the proposed bottle bill, do not be misled by terms like deposit or handling fees. Have no doubt what they are proposing is an additional tax on beverages. This is in addition to the high sales taxes you are already paying, and the hidden "sin" tax you pay on beverages containing alcohol. I am originally from New York where they have one of the most intrusive deposit programs in the country, and from my visit last summer, I can attest it has done little to prevent littering. The slobs who toss their trash out of their car windows are not going to alter their behavior because of higher soda or beer prices. A hefty fine and a month in an orange suit picking up their own filth might. I do not litter, and I'm guessing the majority of you do not either. As to the argument that deposit laws must be effective because places like New York and Maine have not repealed them, consider this. How many politicians do you know are in the business of lowering your tax bill? Yes these laws are effective. They are an effective way to relieve you of more of your hard earned money. And believe me, there will be little incentive for the state to make returning your empties convenient. They get more taxes from you if it is a hassle and you throw the bottle away anyway. My experience in New York is that it is a major hassle, costing you time and gas to stand in line to get only a portion of your money back. If such a bill passes, I am thinking a monthly drive to the Wal-Mart in Oak Grove will look cost effective. It is only 2.5 miles from the state line. You can already save almost 10 percent on food and almost four percent on everything else. Imagine if soft drinks, water and beer were automatically $1.92 cheaper per case on top of these savings from lower sales taxes. Ladies and gentlemen of Tennessee, start your engines! Information one-sided on effect of bottle bill (see full text, below) Recent articles in The Leaf-Chronicle about the proposed Tennessee bottle bill included inaccurate and one-sided information. The bill being proposed, HB3350/SB3616*, actually exempts retailers from having to redeem empty containers. The complaints of grocers and convenience store operators, like the local owner quoted in one article, are totally groundless. Several quotes were from various opponents of the legislation. Was any attempt made to locate even one local private citizen who favors this bill? We're not hard to find. We're the ones you see out picking up roadside litter or planting and caring for public trees and flower beds. The March 26 editorial opposing the measure hit on the "just 11 states" with container deposit laws as evidence that such laws can't be a good idea. Does anyone think that a state like New York would not repeal its deposit law in a "New York minute" if the program were a failure or a "bureaucratic nightmare"? Consider this: Those 11 states represent nearly one third of the population, have recycling rates three times that of Tennessee*, and many -- Vermont, Maine, Oregon and Hawaii come to mind -- are renowned for pristine scenic beauty and tourism. Tennessee should be in such good company. What if, just once, our state were 12th in the nation on a quality of life issue, instead of, say, 47th? The editorial makes one point with which I fully agree -- we do need stiffer penalties for the irresponsible slobs who trash our highways and byways. But I strongly differ with the conclusion that it's "paper products that are causing the real problem along Tennessee's roadsides," rather than beverage containers. Those of us who actually bend over to pick the stuff up know otherwise. * Source: Scenic Tennessee Dumping on ex-Mainer's bottle bill (see full text, below) If Marge Davis had a nickel for every bottle and can she sees lying along the roadside near her home, she'd be . . . never mind. Down in her neck of the woods, it's not going to happen anytime soon. "It certainly will not pass this year," Davis, who grew up in Portland and now lives in Mount Juliet, Tenn., said of her beloved bottle bill, which gets its first hearing before Tennessee's legislature today. "These things are so incremental - it took California 10 years to pass a bottle bill." That's right, folks. Three decades after Maine decided to put its money where its empties were - and in the process cleaned up its roadsides virtually overnight - many states continue to trash returnable bottles and cans as the work of environmental extremists who'll stop at nothing to . . . cut down on litter? States like Tennessee, where Davis has lived since 1979. "I had a news crew out at my house last spring and we went out to the road and started counting empties," she recalled. At 5 cents per container, "I had up to $2 without even moving my feet." It is, Davis believes, a cultural thing. While most Mainers now wouldn't dream of rolling down the car window and tossing an empty to the wind, Tennesseans do it all the time. And while most Mainers waste no time picking up those Bud Light cans that occasionally do end up on the roadside, Tennesseans let them grow into local landmarks. Davis' Tennessee Bottle Bill Project recently held its annual "Message in a Bottle" photo contest. The winners (posted at www.tnbottlebill.org) look like the aftermath of a Maine charity bottle drive--minus the big check and smiling faces. "I love the South. I've been here for half my life," said Davis. "But the fact is, we have a fairly nonprogressive record when it comes to things that are environmentally friendly." She's tried to cite Maine, where she still summers, as an example that Tennessee would do well to follow. She even brought her bill's sponsor, state Rep. Russell Johnson, up here in December to show him how we do it - starting with those "reverse vending machines" that gobble up empties and spit back receipts. "He thought that was great fun," Davis said. But alas, Davis and Johnson so far are no match for the beverage industry. Year after year, the beer and soft-drink lobbyists have crushed bottle bills in Tennessee and the 38 other states that still lack them--just as they tried in the late 1970s to thwart returnables here in Maine. Davis can't believe the slanders she's heard her opponents hurl at her home state: Maine's food stores are crawling with rodents drawn by the scent of dried Sprite. Maine forces--that's right, forces--its citizens to recycle all of their household trash . . . "They even say Mainers don't eat fast food, so therefore they don't have as much litter," she said. Davis tries her best to set the record straight. She tells Tennessee lawmakers how many times she's asked people in Maine if they'd do it all over again--and how they universally respond that the bottle bill is the best thing that ever happened to the Pine Tree State. Along with, of course, the ban on billboards. "We have those too," lamented Davis. While Keep Knoxville Beautiful's State bottle bill needs a chance (see full text, below) While Keep Knoxville Beautiful's board of directors has only recently taken a position on Tennessee's proposed bottle bill, Tom Salter, the organization's executive director, has for several months been very outspoken regarding his disdain for the bill and its supporters. Using local media, KKB's web log and his own Web site, Salter portrays the bill's supporters as misguided, emotional and unable to grasp facts. His actions appear to be aimed at maintaining his organization's funding and relevance at the expense of actual litter reduction. Salter, obstinate in his contention that litter must be counted by the piece, sees each Styrofoam packing peanut, ketchup packet or torn lottery ticket as statistically equivalent to a 32-ounce beer bottle. By his method, when I spend my morning filling six large trash bags on a rural county road and three of the six are strictly cans and bottles, those three bags count as only 15 percent of my total. Salter has accused the bill's proponents of deliberately manipulating data to support their position, but it's obvious to those of us who actually pick up litter on a regular basis that his method of counting and the resulting data are skewed and simply wrong. If I have two bags of trash and I give one away, I have given away half of my trash. One needn't count the contents of either bag to know that one bag is half of two bags. Bad math, endless studies and clever slogans have not succeeded in reducing litter in Tennessee. Let's give the bottle bill a chance. Litter problem needs more than empty slogans (see full text, below) The disrespect and wastefulness of the people who litter are disgusting and discouraging. Recently, while walking my two dogs along Buffat Mill Road between Locarno Drive and Spring Hill Road, a residential area near Wal-Mart, I picked up six cans, two bottles, paper cups and wrappers from three different fast-food restaurants. I could have picked up at least twice as much but was encumbered with the leashes and poop bags. Sometimes we walk along the road to Texas Roadhouse. Currently there are two huge TV monitor boxes, bottles, cans, wrappers, pill containers, condoms, cans and food wrappers from the six fast-food restaurants in the area. I can't bear to walk there now. Whose responsibility is it to clean this mess up? How can we stop this disregard for property and appearance? One way is to have deposits on returnable containers. I lived in Vermont where the money supported many activities, including Little League and literacy, as well as needy people who collected bottles from neighborhoods and roadsides. Another is to have many more trash containers which are emptied often and to encourage the restaurants to educate their customers to be considerate of the environment. Using drunk drivers to clean up is also a beneficial solution. The incomprehensible slogan "Don't Throw Down on Knoxville" obviously has little impact on the litter problem. Bottle bill would help in Tennessee (see full text, below) For example: Litter immediately diminished after passage of the bill and was sustained. The bill had no significant financial effect on retail businesses; consumers weren't fazed by the deposit. The bill did not create more state bureaucracy or cost jobs. Instead, private entrepreneurs created centers, and some jobs were created. No health and vermin problems were created for grocery stores, recycling centers, etc. Most stores installed automated machines where empty containers were inserted in the machines, immediately crushed and either cash or a voucher is issued the depositor. An unexpected benefit of the bottle bill was the ability of the many people to earn money from returning recyclables, such as the poor, the indigent, kids' groups, church groups, etc. From the very beginning, the bill was a win-win situation, and it would be good for Tennessee to adopt such a law. Bottle bill needed to aid litter control (see full text, below) I would like to comment on a Perspective article about the bottle bill in the News Sentinel, Feb. 19. Steve Smith comments on litter control. He strongly supports the litter grant program in existence since 1982, which is funded by a soft drink and beer tax, a comprehensive county-by-county litter-control program calling for collection of trash along area roads. Smith states that this approach has been extremely successful. Are you kidding me? It seems to me that the money the counties are receiving for cleanup is not being used to clean up the roads and are put in the general fund for other uses. You would have to be blind to think these roads in Tennessee are kept clean. I cannot think of any state that is as bad as Tennessee for trash along the roads. I would agree with Marge Davis: Yes, we need a bottle bill. State Rep. Russell Johnson, Loudon, you are right on about your legislation for a bottle tax in Tennessee, but it should be 10 cents on soda cans and bottles, bottled water, beer, fruit juice and wine bottles. Bill calls for bottle refund (see excerpt, below) A Loudon County state representative has introduced a bill to the Tennessee General Assembly to encourage recycling by imposing a deposit on glass, plastic and aluminum bottles sold in the state. Rep. Russell Johnson introduced the bill this year as he has done for the past five years, and he said he thinks that changes made to this year’s version could finally get it passed. ... It's time for beverage industries to follow others in reducing waste (see excerpt, below) In the debate about the bottle bill, we are forgetting one crucial point: Waste reduction is already a way of life for Tennessee industries. I'm talking about the hundreds of companies that have lessened their impact on the environment by finding ways to reduce not just product and manufacturing waste but packaging waste, landscaping waste, even waste from the employee break room. They do it to save resources, to lower costs and to demonstrate their good citizenship to the public. How do I know this? I used to work for the University of Tennessee's Center for Industrial Services in the Waste Reduction Assistance Program. I traveled the state, visiting and writing about dozens of these companies, from the very large — Saturn, FedEx, Whirlpool, Bridgestone-Firestone, DuPont and so on — to the relatively small, such as Ready Mix Concrete Company of Knoxville. For more than a decade, this company has been adding a hydrating agent to every batch of concrete it produces to keep the leftovers from hardening and being dumped onto the ground. The additive costs money, of course, but it also saves raw materials, reduces landfill volume, gets rid of an eyesore and benefits the public. Sound familiar? These are the same reasons Tennesseans want to put a refundable deposit on bottles and cans: to keep them off our roads and out of our landfills and return the endlessly reusable glass, plastic and aluminum to the manufacturing stream. ... Bill isn't litter control; it's higher prices and lost retail sales (see excerpt, below) State Rep. Russell Johnson of Loudon has proposed legislation for a bottle tax in Tennessee. While portrayed as litter control, the measure simply would result in higher consumer prices and larger state government and would fail miserably in controlling litter. East Tennesseans recognize the value of protecting our environment and agree we should all do our part to ensure a beautiful, litter-free landscape. A clean environment is critical to achieving a higher quality of life. For that reason, Food City and other Tennessee grocers strongly support the litter grant program, which has been in existence since 1982. The progressive project, which is funded by a soft drink and beer tax, consists of a comprehensive county-by-county litter control program calling for the collection of trash along area roads. This approach has been extremely successful because it addresses the cleanup of all types of litter rather than focusing on one narrow waste stream. While Johnson has chosen an admirable goal, he's simply selected the wrong avenue of fulfillment. In a recent News Sentinel statement, Tom Salter, executive director for Keep Knoxville Beautiful, pointed out that a forced deposit plan would not be effective because it's not a comprehensive approach. A report by Virginia-based environmental consultant Gershman, Brickner & Bratton states that forced bottle legislation has proven bureaucratic, duplicates voluntary and other government recycling efforts and is not the effective solution its proponents declare. The bureaucracy is so high that states with forced bottle deposits spend 4.24 cents per recovered container. Johnson's proposal to increase the size of state government ignores the existence of highly successful programs at work, like the litter grant. These programs are keeping our roads clean and our state beautiful. ...
Tradition is defined as ‘generation to generation transfer with no official encouragement,’ much like the camp songs of our youth. The ‘Ninety-Nine Bottles’ song is so old I was unable to track its origins, save a couple of ‘writer unknown’ footnotes, yet it remains alive and lively. Do you think its author would have written the lyrics differently in USA 2006, fingers flying on a keyboard under the spotlight of a gooseneck halogen desk lamp instead of the laborious transfer of ink to quill to parchment? Would a modern songwriter of a song about bottles not grow weary of those repetitive lyrics and write instead about the growing number of bottles tossed into lakes and on roadsides, or left strewn in public parks? Would plastic shopping bags and super-sized drinking cups not be included in the song as well? Some states have taken a huge bite out of their trash heaps by proposing a deposit on bottles. They guessed correctly that many intelligent, reasonable people would religiously round up their bottles and return them if it would put money in their pockets. With the passing of bottle bills, gathering and returning bottles provides a source of income for the needy, the greedy, and your everyday budget-conscious citizen, while diminishing the number of unsightly bottles and cans along rivers, roadsides, and parks as much as 50 percent. Rep. Russell Johnson and Sen. Randy McNally are once again trying to combat this growing problem by drafting a new version of the bottle bill that includes several changes from the 2005 bill. The 2006 bill stipulates that $10 million of unclaimed deposits will go to the County Litter Grants Program, increases the container handling fee to 3¢, and increases the maximum container size to two liters. It boggles the mind wondering how this bill was ever defeated in 2005. Pickup programs haven’t been able to compete with the growing trash heaps. Educating the public apparently hasn’t worked either; the trash is still there and at unacceptable levels. The bottle bill is not to be confused with a tax. It is not a tax. In simple terms, it means that many bottles will never hit the ground and that for every bottle-tossing jerk, someone much smarter will come along and not only pick behind them (at no expense to us) but also make a few cents on it. The proposed deposit would apply to beer and soft drinks as well as bottled water, juices, and sports drinks with the resultant goal, based on existing programs, of boosting Tennessee’s overall redemption rate to as much as 70-80 percent. If you, the concerned citizens of our beautiful state, share these concerns, I hope you will speak out by expressing them to your legislators. The ‘Bottles On The Wall’ camp song will be around for many generations to come, but perhaps a young, poetic mind will pen a litter-free version that collects the deposit on all ninety-nine. Bottle bill would be a positive step (see full text, below) The Grocers' and Bottling Associations have put on the big push against the proposed bottle bill; meanwhile, there are some like Trout Unlimited and the Farm Bureau who see that this bill would be a step in the right direction to improve our reputation as home of Tennessee Trash. Sometimes we need an incentive like this bill affords. Can't Tennessee be the first in the Southeast to try something that's working elsewhere in the country? I was born and raised in Iowa. They approved a bottle bill more than 15 years ago. Drive through the state, and see for yourself how much cleaner it looks than Tennessee. A few years ago, when a statewide poll was taken, the percentage of people approving of the bottle law had increased in the decade after its passage. There is no tax on consumers with this bill. You pay five cents deposit on the container when you buy a beverage. You get the money back when you return it to a recycler. The beverage distributor pays the handling fee, not the consumer. And with the competition out there in the beverage field, I doubt that the cost will affect the consumer. The studies the Times-News quoted in its editorial against the bill were supported by the industries against the bottle bill. I also suspect that if people start having a real incentive to recycle their containers, they will recycle or dispose of other trash in responsible manners as well. Most of us lived during a time when we paid a deposit on pop at the store. Didn't think anything of it. But the bottlers and grocery stores tired of it. Interesting that the oil manufacturers are also against this bill. Millions of gallons of petroleum are wasted each year because the plastic containers that are made from it are completely wasted. A bottle bill for Tennessee will be a wise choice for a cleaner state. Reader shares results of litter tally (see full text, below) You are wrong in your editorial, "Bottle Bill Would Have Little Effect on Litter." Washington and New Jersey statistics notwithstanding, how about Maine and Oregon? Several times each week I pick up litter along a rural road in eastern Greene County. My haul Wednesday included 17 beer cans, five beer bottles, one wine bottle and one cardboard beer carton. You can quibble all you want about mass, volume, number of specific types of items, etc., but today's haul was fairly typical. If litterbugs want to throw nickles out the window and I have to retrieve them, at five cents each for cans and bottles, the $1.10 would have at least paid for my Gator gas. And without the deposit items I would only have retrieved two non-deposit items. However, if wine bottles were included in the bill, there would only have been one non-deposit item. I realize a sample size of one day on one section of rural road in one county is statistically meaningless, but again, the haul was fairly typical and goes on, week after week after week. Friday, Saturday, and Wednesday nights typically provide an increased number of items. Those must be drinking nights. I shudder to think how dangerous it is on these roads with all this drinking and driving. One more thing: a neighbor recently had to buy a new tractor tire at $379 after shredding a tire on a broken beer bottle in his pasture adjacent to the road. So besides the litter issue, there are safety and property damage issues. While the proposed bottle bill won't do anything about dirty diapers and similar trash, it would make a huge dent in the recyclable trash. Wrong on bottle bill (see full text, below) None of the arguments presented by either side are new. Experiences of other states can benefit the effort that is ongoing in our region. Kentucky and Virginia residents are just as concerned as most Tennesseans and also are proposing legislation to address this problem. I truly believe all of us want to solve this problem, and we must all be willing to sacrifice some thing to obtain this. Most of us do not have the financial resources to fix this problem and can only volunteer our time physically cleaning up the mess or trying to back imperfect legislation that just may significantly reduce the problem. I would like to urge you, your newspaper, readers and advertisers to put aside preconceived opinions and assume the challenge set before us. We can seek wisdom to address this problem or we can continue with the negative approach of name calling and theatrics and solve nothing. Bottle bill will help fight litter (see full text, below) It is difficult to understand the motivation behind recent letters to the editor and critical comments in a front-page News Sentinel article discussing the proposed bottle bill. The simple indisputable truth is that our roadsides are littered with trash to an unacceptable degree. Keep America Beautiful organizations across the state have tried to solve this problem with pickup and education programs, but obviously the problem is greater than their abilities or resources to fix it. Why not support a bottle bill that proposes to double the money to reinforce their efforts? The proposed bottle bill allots $10 million of the unclaimed deposits to the state litter grant program, which funds Keep Tennessee Beautiful and uses jail crews to pick up litter. Why don't the Keep American Beautiful organizations get behind the bottle bill and help tailor it to its needs as KAB affiliates in many other states have done? Our existing litter programs do some excellent things, but their inadequacies are demonstrated by the trash we see around us every day. As witnessed in the 11 states that have passed bottle bills, a significant amount of roadside trash — up to 50 percent, measured by volume — can be stopped before it is thrown out. This, plus additional money for education and pickup programs, could make significant improvements a reality. Add to this the statistic that Tennessee has only 35 curbside recycling programs to serve almost 6 million people — the 11 bottle-bill states have an average of 306 curbside programs each — and it is not difficult to conclude that major steps are needed to deal with litter in our state. Overmountain Chapter of Trout Unlimited endorses bottle bill (see excerpts, below) In spite of various organized cleanup efforts, litter has become a major problem in Tennessee. The Overmountain Chapter of Trout Unlimited has endorsed the passage of a bottle bill to help alleviate the problem. Marge Davis, coordinator of the Tennessee Bottle Bill Project, will be giving a special presentation, "Why Tennessee Needs a Bottle Bill," Thursday, Jan. 12, at 7 p.m. at the Sycamore Shoals State Park Visitors Center. The presentation is sponsored by the Overmountain Chapter of Trout Unlimited. A bottle bill discourages litter and encourages recycling by placing a refundable deposit on beverage containers. Last year a similar bill died in committee, and since then sponsors and supporters have been attempting to increase public awareness and make a 2006 bill a reality. ... Among revisions for 2006 is the stipulation that $10 million of the unclaimed deposits will go to the County Litter Grants Program. The bill also increases the container handling fee to 3 cents and increases the maximum container size to two liters. If the bill is passed, consumers will pay a retailer a refundable deposit of 5 cents for every listed beverage they buy. These would include most beverages up to two liters sold in glass, plastic or aluminum/metal containers, including soda, beer, water, juice, teas, coffee, mixed wine/spirits and "sports drinks." Consumers would get back the deposit when they return their empty containers to a certified redemption center, which may be an independent center, a retailer or a "reverse vending machine." Redemption centers would receive a 3-cent handling fee per container, paid by the beverage distributors, to help cover costs of the program and support assorted recycling efforts. Redemption centers would contract with recycling markets to sell the glass, plastic and aluminum. Unclaimed deposits, expected to be at least $50 million a year, would be used to increase funding for the existing County Litter Grants Program and to support other public service initiatives. Bottle bill coordinator to address Trout Unlimited meeting in Elizabethton (see excerpt, below) ELIZABETHTON — Tennessee Bottle Bill Project Coordinator Marge Davis will talk about why she feels Tennessee needs a bottle bill on Thursday at 7 p.m. at a special meeting of the Overmountain Chapter of Trout Unlimited at the Sycamore Shoals State Historic Site Visitors Center. Bottle refunds are beneficial (see full text, below) Eleven states in the country have what are called "bottle bills." These laws require a refundable deposit on beverage containers, and they produce real environmental benefits. Tennessee should have its own. A
bottle bill will be introduced when the General Assembly reconvenes this
month, but it will need a big push from the public to have any chance of
passing. Powerful beverage industry lobbyists will oppose it and have
blocked similar efforts for the past five years. But this is good There's nothing new about the concept. Tennesseans of a certain age easily will remember when all bottles were returned for the deposit refund. It was a normal part of life until "no deposit no return" marketing helped make us a throwaway society that wastes natural resources and produces unreasonable amounts of garbage. Bottle bills tend to change that throwaway habit. The 11 bottle-bill states recycle more beverage containers than the rest of the country combined. They provide a great incentive for altering wasteful behavior — money. Tennesseans drink an estimated 3.9 billion bottled or canned drinks every year and now recycle less than one-fourth of the containers. Experience in bottle-bill states suggests that with a 5-cent refund on every one of those containers, Tennessee could expect a 70 percent to 80 percent redemption rate. We’re talking about tripling the number of containers responsibly recycled. Think of the difference that will make on our roads and highways. A recent survey by volunteers for Scenic Tennessee, an organization supporting a bottle bill, found that beverage containers made up an average of 56 percent of roadside litter by volume. Theirs was an unscientific effort, but its credibility is bolstered by the 1999 results of a controlled, statewide analysis of litter in Kentucky, where 48 percent was made up of beverage containers. Tennessee needs to get beverage containers off its roadsides and out of its landfills. They should be recycled, and a bottle bill will go a long way toward ensuring that many more of them are. "Maine Things Considered" segment on Maine Public Radio (see transcript, below) A Tennessee lawmaker is in Maine this week visiting bottle redemption centers and other facilities that have sprung up in Maine since the state’s bottle bill was enacted. Maine has been levying deposits on bottles and cans since 1976, becoming one of the first states in the nation to use such a strategy to tackle roadside litter. Tennessee state Representative Russell Johnson has been trying for five years to enact similar legislation in his home state and he’s introducing a bill again this year. [Russell Johnson:] “It’s just great to come up here and see Maine and see how the process works. I’m sure there are a lot of differences between here and Tennessee, but the one resounding similarity is people don’t like to see litter. It affects quality of life, it affects tourism, and I think there are so many pluses to this bill, and I just hope we can make it work.” On this day Johnson is taking a look at how Maine’s system works at the RSVP redemption center in Portland. He’s brought along a videographer who rolls tape as customers lug bulging trash bags of bottles and cans through the door and feed them one by one into machines that crush the containers and tally up the refunds. [Russell Johnson:] “This whole idea of reverse vending machines is a foreign concept to most of my fellow legislators in Tennessee. To actually show them video of people standing there, as you heard in the background, putting the cans and bottles into the reverse vending machines to see how that operation works and [how it] will virtually eliminate many of the problems that the lobbyists for the grocery stores and bottle distributors have said we would experience in Tennessee.” During the busy summer season, RSVP on Forest Ave processes about a million bottles and cans a month. That’s a lot of drink containers that won’t end up on the road as litter, says Marge Davis of the group Scenic Tennessee. Davis says instead of enacting a bottle bill 25 years ago, Tennessee decided to use prison inmates to clean up the state’s roads. [Marge Davis:] “Everybody acknowledges that litter is worse than it ever was. People come from out of state and say, ‘What a beautiful state—the mountains, the rivers, etc.—but we’ve never seen trash like we see here.’” Davis is a Portland native who’s come to Maine with Johnson to gather ammunition for convincing Tennessee lawmakers to follow Maine’s lead and enact a bottle bill. Johnson and his Tennessee co-sponsor, Senator Randy McNally, both Republicans, are proposing a five-cent deposit on cans and bottles. The containers would be redeemed at a network of recycling centers. It doesn’t go as far as Maine’s law, which was expanded in 1989 to include wine, liquor, water and juice containers. Nonetheless, Johnson’s proposal is sparking fierce opposition from a number of groups in Tennessee, including the local chapter of the organization Keep America Beautiful. [Tom Salter:] “We don’t think it’s going to do what the sponsors say it will do.” Tom Salter heads the group Keep Knoxville Beautiful, which gets some of its funds indirectly from Tennessee’s current litter cleanup program. Those funds might go away if a bottle bill is enacted. But Salter says there’s no evidence that bottle bills like the one Maine enacted 30 years ago really make a difference. [Tom Salter:] “We think litter is a problem with many, many different sources of litter, many, many different types of litter, and involves a lot of different types of behavior. And we don’t think that a bottle-and-can recycling program is going to have that much impact on roadside litter.” The Tennessee Grocers Association is using a similar argument to fight Johnson’s bottle bill. Officials in Maine say they don’t really keep track of roadside trash, but they say roads here have become a lot cleaner since the bottle bill was enacted. Only 11 states have followed suit so far, and Tennessee’s Russell Johnson says there are no bottle redemption programs at all in the southeastern United States. He says he hopes the evidence he’s gathering in Maine this week will help convince Tennessee governor Phil Bredesen to support his effort to make Tennessee the first in the region to enact a bottle bill. [Russell Johnson:] “I’m trying to appeal to him to say, ‘Hey, Governor Bredesen, you remember how it was, I remember how it was; let’s implement a program that this is not your father’s or your grandfather’s bottle bill. Things have changed since then as far as the whole redemption process. Let me bring this information back to you and show you how we can do better in Tennessee than perhaps even they’re doing in Maine today.’” Johnson plans to introduce his bill in the Tennessee legislature when the session gets underway in January. Similar efforts have failed five times to far, but if it succeeds this time, the bill would take effect in January of 2007. Bottle Bill proposal to be reintroduced (see full text, below) State Rep. Russell Johnson of Loudon said he plans to reintroduce his Bottle Bill Legislation early in the 2006 term. The bill, which Johnson has introduced in some form each of his six years in the Tennessee House of Representatives, would require distributors to pay a 5-cent deposit to the state for each beverage to be sold in Tennessee as well as a 3-cent handling fee. Johnson said he envisions distributors collecting 5 cents from the retailer, who in turn collects five cents when the product is sold to a consumer. Consumers who recycle these containers would receive 5 cents from the collection center. The collection center would receive 5 cents from the state; if the center also recycles the product, it collects the 3-cent handling fee as well. While opponents of the bill have said it doesn't do enough to combat litter or claim it amounts to a new consumer tax, Johnson said he believes the proposed legislation would increase revenue and dramatically increase the amount of recycled products, decreasing the amount of roadside litter in the state. A letter distributed by Johnson's office reports, with the bill's passage, Tennessee "can expect to see its redemption rate jump from less than 25-percent annually to 70-percent, 75-percent or even 80-percent." The letter also notes states currently operating under a similar program reported an average reduction in container litter of 78 percent and a 39 percent reduction for all other types of litter. Johnson reported Tennesseans consume nearly four billion beverages each year packaged in glass, plastic and aluminum. When these numbers are combined with the average percentage of similar containers recycled in the 11 states that have deposit-return system in place, Johnson said the bill could amount to as much as $58-million in revenue from unclaimed deposits each year. Johnson said he believes such revenues could be used to finance other litter clean-up efforts, such as the expanded prisoner litter pick-up program contained in the new DUI law. Opponents of the bill point to its narrow scope, saying it is not comprehensive enough to solve the state's litter problems. In a press release from the Tennessee Grocers and Convenience Store Association (TGCSA) and Tennessee Oil Marketers Association (TOMA), TGCSA President Jarron Springer said, "a comprehensive litter program targeting all litter and not just beverage containers is the only proven method to decrease litter." Information provided by the associations also claim Johnson's legislation "will require consumers to pay at least an additional 5 cents * for bottled and canned drinks" and allege "the out-of-pocket cost for consumers will likely increase to 8 cents as businesses pass on the additional 3-cent 'handling' fee." According to Emily Leroy of TOMA, "Convenience store owners do not want to be trash collectors and believe the public does not want waste recycling to be conducted in the same building where food is being prepared and served." Johnson contends that modern recycling methods and other considerations included in his bill preclude this problem. Johnson pointed out reverse vending machines, which take in beverage containers and issue consumers a receipt for their recycled products, can be used to collect vast amounts of beverage containers without sanitation issues. The bill also includes certain exemptions based on a store's size or proximity to a recycling center, Johnson noted. The TGCSA and TOMA press release states the proposed bill is also opposed by the Tennessee Soft Drink Association and the Tennessee Malt Beverage Association. The release from Johnson's office reports his bill is supported by the Tennessee Conservation Voters, the Tennessee Wildlife Federation and the Farm Bureau as part of a larger campaign against litter. While Johnson admitted the bill does not address all litter types, he said he sees it as an excellent start. "Why not give people an incentive not to litter?" he asked. Bottle bill support will yield bounty of beauty (see excerpt, below) Tennessee’s state historian didn’t mince words about litter-strewn landscapes. “I am distressed, angry, outraged” is the opening line in Wilma Dykeman’s essay, in Look to this Day, describing her journey of many thousand miles “on America’s highways and bypaths.” She felt distressed by “the dumps along our thoroughfares and the litter along our trails,” anger at “wanton destruction of our national heritage” in forest and parklands, outrage at the “national attitude this waste and defilement reveals.” ... People who befoul the lands common to us all, Ms Dykeman said, are “the moral illiterates who simply do not care.” Incentives and disincentives, as would come into play in a “bottle bill,” can nudge people to higher levels of “morality.” Bottle tax not answer to litter problem (see full text, below) Stopping roadside litter is a challenge. It's like trying to convince children not to write on the walls of school bathrooms. People who litter, like kids who scrawl on the bathroom walls, know it's wrong. They know it looks bad. They wouldn't do it at home. But they toss out their bottles, waste paper, cigarette butts and fast-food wrappers anyway. How do you stop it? Some in Tennessee are pushing for a 5-cent deposit on all bottles and cans sold. Officials of the Tennessee Bottle Project for Scenic Tennessee Inc. say about 56 percent of the trash they collected along 20 miles of road in 11 counties consisted of bottles and cans. Projector coordinator Marge Davis says that's a fair description of the makeup of litter in other counties. But not so fast. How much of the trash collected was bottles and cans? Resource Recycling magazine reported in May that the percentage of soft drink and beer containers found in litter is closer to 6 or 7 percent. And what is to become of all those bottles returned for the deposit? Convenience stores and supermarkets would be overwhelmed by all those returns. They might even need a separate building to house it all before it can be picked up for recycling. Litter problems won't go away with a 5-cent deposit. All that deposit will do is make customers angry, inconvenience stores that have to deal with the added bureaucracy and enrich state coffers - a bottle bill would generate an estimated $10 million a year. The Tennessee Grocers and Convenience Association and the Tennessee Oil Marketers Association say the deposit would be little more than a consumer tax. They're right. If there were any hope roadsides would be litter-free with such a tax, it might be worth considering. But roadsides are cluttered with a lot more than cans and bottles. Fixing the problem of roadside littering will take education, strong local ordinances that impose stiff fines for violators, and easier-to-reach trash containers. Society can't tax its way out of the littering mess. Nor should it even try. Cans, bottles trashing state? (see full story, below) NASHVILLE - A group advocating a Tennessee bottle deposit law in Tennessee says a recent statewide litter collection indicates that more than half of the state's roadside trash comes from beverage containers. Most of the discarded containers could be eliminated if the Legislature enacts a proposed law to require a 5-cent deposit on cans and bottles, said Marge Davis, coordinator of the Tennessee Bottle Bill Project for Scenic Tennessee Inc. Critics of the so-called "bottle bill," sponsored by Rep. Russell Johnson, R-Loudon, and Sen. Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, question Davis' premise and the results of the litter survey. About 150 volunteers carrying two bags each collected trash along 20.4 miles of road in 11 counties, Davis said, placing beverage containers in one bag and other litter in the other. Of the 4,602 total gallons of litter picked up, 2,580.5 gallons, or 56.07 percent, were bottles and cans, she said. About three-fourths of the roads covered were rural, she said. "Granted, this was not a highly scientific survey," Davis said. "The only real rule was that volunteers had to use 13-gallon drawstring garbage bags and collect bottles and cans separately from other litter. "But considering that county after county reported similar results - generally in the 50 percent to 60 percent range - we think this survey paints a very fair picture of the composition of litter in Tennessee," Davis said. Tom Salter, executive director of Keep Knoxville Beautiful, said the survey by Davis' organization was designed to "sensationalize" the amount of litter along state roads. The Scenic Tennessee survey counts litter by volume rather than piece by piece. Using the latter method, Salter said, both national and local studies put the percentage of litter coming from beverage containers at 8 percent to 28 percent. "We do not believe a bottle bill will make a significant difference in the amount of roadside litter, but people may be led to believe that based on deliberately manipulated data," Salter said. Davis counters that counting litter piece by piece skews the results. "A plastic cup with a top and a straw gets separated and is three pieces," she said. "Bottles and cans also last a lot longer as an eyesore, for years and years." Davis also contended that Keep Knoxville Beautiful and other state groups affiliated with the Keep America Beautiful organization tend to be "partisans" for the soft drink and malt beverage industries, which strongly oppose bottle bill legislation in Tennessee. She said this is because the affiliated groups indirectly receive funds from the state's present "litter grants" program, funded by a tax on the beer and soft drink industries that generated $4.1 million last year. The money is sent to counties, which then give some to organizations, such as Keep Knoxville Beautiful, to combat litter. Salter said he believes "a bottle bill won't fix the litter problem" and that Scenic Tennessee "takes an emotional approach rather than a scientific approach" in pushing the proposal. He said Keep Knoxville Beautiful is an independent, nonprofit organization, and the litter grants it receives do not influence his position on the bottle bill. He said that the draft bottle bill would allocate about $10 million to the litter grant programs, more than doubling the amount now distributed. "They're basically saying, 'We'll double the money,' if I just go away," he said. Davis also said she objects to "sound-alike" Web sites, which she considers misleading, set up by critics of the bottle bill. Davis' organization's Web site is www.tnbottlebill.org. Salter acknowledges involvement in creating "alternative" Web sites www.tnbottlebill.com and tnbottlebill.com. But he says they are simply a means of providing more information. The bottle bill was defeated in the Legislature last year, with Johnson declaring the existence of opposition lobbying by the malt beverage and soft drink industries. He says that the push for passage will be renewed in the upcoming legislative session. Critics of the bill have become more active recently. Last week, the Tennessee Grocers and Convenience Association and the Tennessee Oil Marketers Association issued a joint press release attacking the bill as "a new consumer tax." "This program is being proposed as a solution to litter on our roadways, but we know from watching other states that it will just be a new bureaucracy that will cost hundreds of millions of dollars and will not decrease litter," said Jarron Springer, president of the grocers group. "A comprehensive litter program targeting all litter and not just beverage containers is the only proven method to decrease litter. Taxing bottles and cans will not solve the litter problem." Photo contest brings attention to Tenn. letter problem (see excerpt, below) For Marge Davis, the ancient adage rings true — a picture is indeed worth a thousand words. Look no further than Scenic Tennessee’s 12th Annual Photo Contest entitled “Message in the Bottle(s),” which features images that typify an inherent litter problem facing Tennessee, Davis, a ranking member of Scenic Tennessee, said. “It’s prolific, it’s ubiquitous, it’s offensive,” she said of the “litter stream” plaguing Tennessee. “It compromises the state’s natural beauty, and in many cases it endangers its natural resources, from water quality to wildlife.” One such image, captured by Mark Campen, first place winner in the adult division, depicts a multitude of cans and bottles amassed at a local riverbed. “These photos are evidence that existing litter-control efforts, whether through education, enforcement or periodic cleanups by prison crews and community groups, are not sufficient to significantly reduce litter.” Such sights are becoming more common in Knoxville, Campen, a University of Tennessee graduate in forestry, wildlife and fishery who now works with the Izaak Walton League, said. For him, the impact of such images is still great, even though he encounters them on a day to day basis in his line of work. “Tennessee trash is definitely a problem and it’s quite an eyesore,” he said. “We try to alleviate that in any way we can.” ... Winners Of Scenic Tennessee Photo Contest Announced (see excerpt, below) “At a beach in Chattanooga, geese forage for food among empty cans of Sprite and bottles of Coke.” “In Memphis, a solid blanket of bottles stretches from shore to shore at McKellar Lake.” These are the kinds of images submitted to “Message in the Bottle(s),” Scenic Tennessee’s photo contest dedicated to the fight against litter. Sheriff: Bottle-deposit bill will reduce trash (see full story, below) Cozy Silvers took one of his litter crews to Limestone Cove and the Martin’s Creek area of Erwin on Thursday, the group returned with a clear idea of what items people are tossing on the ground. The bed of a pickup truck was nearly filled with 57 garbage bags, 36 of which contained beer bottles and other drink containers. Silvers, who works for the Unicoi County Sheriff’s Department, said this was not atypical of what his crews collect. “It’ll run way over half,” he said of the percentage of bottles and plastic containers. “There is more of that type of stuff than there is just ordinary trash. Just about any road you go on, way more than half will be beer bottles and beer cans and drink bottles and things like that.” Sheriff Kent Harris is aware of the situation and believes Scenic Tennessee and some state legislators have a wise solution. Those groups have previously introduced a bill that would require people to make a 5-cent deposit when they buy beer, soda and bottled water. The money would be returned should they return the bottle or plastic container after they have consumed the beverage. If they do not, the state keeps the money. People would return the bottles and plastic containers to a privately run recycling center, which would get a 3-cent handling fee. Scenic Tennessee said distributors would pay that fee. The recycling center would then be allowed to sell the items that the public turned in. According to information supplied to Harris by Scenic Tennessee, the Tennessee Bottle Bill would double the money Unicoi County receives in its state litter grant and reduce trash on its roads. Harris said the county could use the extra money to combat litter, and he agrees the amount of trash on the roadside would drop dramatically. He believes such a law would provide motivation for people to turn in their bottles and plastic containers. The sheriff said he and Erwin Mayor Brushy Lewis are going to sign a letter in support of this bill. With the extra litter funds, Harris would be able to hire another person and give Silvers a pay raise and spend more on educational efforts. “It disheartens me when you see these guys go out and pick up a section of the roadway and it looks so nice, and then two days later, you go back and it’s littered up again,” he said. Many northern states have bottle deposit laws. Harris noted that some people he knows went to Maine, which is one of those states, and reported not seeing any litter. State Rep. David Hawk, R-Greeneville, said he favors anything that reduces trash and leads to cleaner communities but does not have a stance on this bill, which was not passed this year. The bill was not addressed in one of his committees, and he said he needs to learn more about the legislation before he decides how he would vote. Hawk has heard bottlers, the soft drink association and owners of small stores are against the legislation. According to a recent Associated Press story, lobbyists for the beverage industry are generally opposed, arguing the laws increase the price of beverages at retail stores. They also contend the programs are expensive to start and maintain. Silvers thinks the deposit might ease the workload on his crews. Bottles are particularly troublesome because they can be thrown a long distance, making litter pickup more time-consuming, he said. Plus, they weigh a lot, which increases Unicoi County’s disposal costs at Iris Glen Environmental Center in Johnson City. He believes bottles and plastic containers dominate the garbage that finds its way on the ground because people who have consumed alcohol in their car do not want police to stop them and charge them with violating the state’s open container law. Because the task of cleaning up falls to his group, the law actually hurts more than it helps, he said. Bottle bill could help improve recycling efforts (see excerpt, below) "Remember when we were kids, picking up glass bottles and getting a few pennies for them at the store?" Davis asked. That tradition ended when the beverage industry switched from selling their drinks in bottles that required a deposit to "no deposit, no return bottles," she said. The tradition would return, and Tennessee's roads could become cleaner, if the General Assembly adopts the "Tennessee Deposit Beverage Container Recycling Act of 2006," Davis said. The bill is a revised version of a bill that failed in the legislature earlier this year. Is 2006 the Year We'll Get a Bottle Bill? (see excerpt, below) Tennesseans with a serious interest in recycling usually bring up the question of a bottle bill since they see the benefits of such measures in other states. However, that idea has never been successful here. Because of Scenic Tennessee's Bottle Bill Project, legislation was introduced in 2005; although it failed, there was a great deal of interest and favorable press; plans call for a renewed effort in 2006, and Recycle Rutherford is pleased to host a presentation by Marge Davis, a long time environmental activist and the coordinator of the Tennessee Bottle Bill Project. Picture
perfect means litter for photography contestants Excerpt: Bottle
bill deserves fair hearing (full text below) Bottle bills have not found favor in the Legislature, and state Rep. Russell Johnson is trying to change that. Johnson, R-Loudon, is sponsoring a bill to require a 5-cent deposit on each container for beer, soft drinks, juices, teas and similar drinks sold in Tennessee. Dairy products, liquor and wine would be exempt. Customers would get 5 cents back when they return a container to a redemption center. An additional 3-cent handling fee for each covered container would be used to operate redemption centers and recycling. The bottle bill clearly is an attempt to clean up Tennessee's landscape, and we think anything that would reduce litter is worth talking about. . . . Johnson's plan to promote his bill, however, has generated controversy. Johnson has offered some fellow legislators and state officials a free trip to Maine, which has had a similar recycling system in effect since 1979. He plans to pay for the trip—he estimates it will cost about $1,000 per person —from his political campaign account. Drew Rawlins, director of the state Registry of Election Finance, said in a letter to Johnson that the trip would be a permitted use of campaign funds under state law. The president of the Tennessee Soft Drink Association has questioned whether the trip is appropriate, and some legislators are skeptical because of the current controversy over ethics in the Legislature. We think, however, that the hullabaloo over the trip is a red herring. At issue is a bill that could help reduce litter in the state. Eleven states have similar programs that help keep their countryside free of litter. Any drive almost anywhere in our state—on rural roads and in the inner cities of our metropolitan areas—will show there is much to be done on this issue. The natural beauty of Tennessee should not be obliterated by a throwaway society. The bottle bill deserves a thorough hearing, both in the Legislature and among the state's residents. Lawmaker to spend his campaign funds to promote bottle bill ( full text below) (NOTE: A version of the AP story appeared in other media, including the Memphis Commercial Appeal on October 6 and on WSMV-Channel 4's website on October 5) An Eaststate lawmaker is planning a trip — paid for with his own campaign funds — to take interested colleagues to Maine to learn more about how a 5-cent bottle deposit law could benefit Tennessee. State Rep. Russell Johnson, a Loudon Republican, says the trip would be a unique way to lobby for a bill that is opposed by much of the beverage industry."I think it's a novel approach to the ethics issue. It is sort of a way to lobby for a bill that now receives so much lobbying pressure from the other direction."Johnson sponsored a "bottle bill" in the last legislative session that died in committee, but he plans to reintroduce the bill in the next session. The Senate version sponsored by Sen. Randy McNally, R-Oak Ridge, also failed to make it out of committee. In its basic form, the bill would charge a 5-cent deposit on each container of beer, soft drinks, juice, tea and other beverages sold in the state. Dairy, wine and liquor would be exempt. The deposit is paid back when containers are returned to state redemption centers or participating retail stores. Advocates of bottle bills in 11 states say they provide financial incentive for all residents to keep bottles from being taken to landfills or becoming litter. Johnson's proposal to pay for the trip — estimated at roughly $1,000 per person — would be allowed under current state law, said Drew Rawlins, director of the state Registry of Election Finance, in re-sponse to an inquiry from Johnson. Johnson hopes to get about 20 people to attend, and has invited legislators on the relevant committees and a few state officials. The itinerary calls for visits to redemption centers, supermarkets with "reverse vending machines" and meetings with officials and residents who support the program. "If people have never spent any time in a bottle bill state, it's hard to conceive of how it works," Johnson said. A lobster dinner and a side trip to L.L. Bean near Portland, Maine, may be included, too. But the idea of a legislator's sponsoring a trip for proposed legislation was questionable to some of Johnson's colleagues, who say they are mindful of the general climate for ethics reform in Nashville. "With all the ethics problems, I don't know that legislators need to be taking any big trips," said Rep. Park Strader, R-Knoxville. "I'm a little skeptical." Lobbyists for the beverage industry are generally opposed to deposit laws, saying they make beverages more expensive at the retail level and are expensive to start and maintain. But Rich Foge, executive director of the Tennessee Malt Beverage Association, said he saw no problem with Johnson's funding the trip from campaign funds. Legislators
skeptical about trip to advance bill Radio news reports on the proposed trip to Maine aired on
WSIX and WPLN How can "patriots" litter our landscape? (full text below) Bully for Carolyn Page for calling litter unpatriotic. (“Fifth of July turns into a cleanup day,” July 6, Letters.) I’ve long suspected that the people who trash our beautiful country are also among those who claim undying love for it. I’m sure they get choked up when Lee Greenwood sings God Bless the USA on the car radio—even as they pitch another bottle or can out the window. It’s hard to square their professed love of our land with their insulting treatment of it. Do they ever stop o think that by throwing away an energy-intensive product like aluminum or a 100% petroleum product like plastic, they are in fact prolonging U.S. dependence on foreign oil? As for others who don't litter, but who object to paying
a refundable deposit on beverage containers because it's “inconvenient,” where’s
that vaunted American willingness to sacrifice in a time of war? That's very true. But what a bottle bill will do is show them we're willing to share in their sacrifice. Where bills become laws, big billfolds hold sway Soft drink deposits cut down on litter (full text below) I was really disappointed to read in Sam Venable's March 15 column that the bottle bill had died in a House subcommittee. I've lived in a bottle deposit state, and the system works well. I hope before the next pass at it--and please let there be one--those who voted against the bill will have volunteered at one of the many ongoing area litter pick-up efforts. Then maybe they'll get it. And Venable is right--for heaven's sake, it's not a tax. If people still choose to pitch bottles or cans out the window, then at lest someone else can get the deposit refund for picking up their mess. State deposit law isn't right approach (full text below) I was very disappointed to see that Tennessee is considering a deposit law. I come from Iowa, one of the states that have had a deposit law for some time. The claims of a 70 percent reduction in litter after the law are simply not true. I participated in Iowa's Adopt-a-Highway program—where volunteers would pick up road trash—for two years, well after the deposit law was enacted, and the roads were still littered with trash. Iowa at least makes all merchants selling the products coming under the law take the product back and give the consumer the refund on the spot, not requiring a redemption center approach, though this causes other concerns in those businesses about sanitation. I maintain that in Iowa, as well as in Tennessee, the majority of the trash comes from fast-food restaurants and convenience stores. I will say that the 5-cent deposit did encourage people to go out and pick up those items worth the money—and leave the rest. Is that a good idea? Many roads in Iowa are much wider and have shoulders—the land is for the most part flat—where the people picking up the trash are not in as much danger. Because of the ridges and narrow roads in Tennessee, are we putting people in harm's way? I applaud the legislators for wanting |
