From Dewayne Johnson of Iowa Recycling Association, forwarded by Jane Clark
(Apologies for cross-posting)
Hawaii Container Law is First in 20 Years
HONOLULU, Hawaii, May 2, 2002 (ENS) - Hawaii has become the 11th U.S. state
to pass beverage container deposit legislation, and the first state in 20
years to enact a so called bottle bill.
The five cent beverage container deposit bill will help Hawaii address its
shrinking landfill space, create recycling jobs, and reduce bottle and can
litter from beaches and roadways.
"Passing the bottle bill is a major victory for Hawaii's environment. Hawaii
is paradise. We want to keep it that way," said Jeff Mikulina, director of
the Sierra Club's Hawaii chapter. "With shrinking landfill space and an
economy that is dependent on a clean environment, the bottle bill makes
sense for Hawaii."
Hawaii uses about 800 million beverage containers each year. About 20
percent of those containers are now recycled statewide.
A recent national report, co-sponsored by the beverage industry, found that
states with bottle bills recover 80 percent of their beverage container
waste. Studies also show that states with bottle bills witnessed a 60 to 80
percent decrease in beverage container litter after enactment of the
measures.
Hawaii's bottle bill will place a nickel deposit on all glass, plastic and
aluminum beverage containers, which the consumer can recoup by bringing the
empty container back for recycling. Redemption centers and retail stores
over a certain size would be required to accept the recyclable bottles and
cans.
"Bottle bills work," continued Mikulina. "They provide a real incentive for
people to recycle and an incentive not to litter. The 10 states with bottle
bills found that bottle and can litter has virtually disappeared. With the
bottle bill, we will not only reduce the pressure on our landfills, but we
will also improve the safety of our beaches and protect our ocean
ecosystem."
The last states to pass nickel deposit bottle bills were Delaware and
Massachusetts in 1982. Many of the measures introduced by states since then
have been opposed by the beverage industry.
Over the past 20 years, beverage industry opponents have spent tens of
millions on defeating bottle bills around the country, out spending
proponents by as much as 30 to one, the Sierra Club charges. In 1996, $3
million was spent to defeat a bottle bill expansion initiative in Oregon.
The Sierra Club estimates that the beverage industry spent upwards of
$100,000 attempting to stop the Hawaii bottle bill.
---
Dewayne Johnson, Executive Director
Iowa Recycling Association
2742 SE Market Street
Des Moines, IA 50317
Phone: 515.265.1596
Fax: 515.265.6690
Cell: 515.240.7722
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