Senator James Jeffords, (I-VT) chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, called for hearings on passing a national bottle bill. Under a Senate Bill being debated on Capitol Hill, beverage companies would be required to ensure that 80 percent of bottles and cans are recycled within two years.
The call for action follows a recent report that found that the collection of aluminum cans for recycling has declined.
The report, by the Container Recycling Institute, finds that 49 percent of aluminum cans were collected for recycling last year, compared to 65 percent that were collected in 1992.
As a consequence, the report concluded, more than 760,000 tons of aluminum cans were thrown away last year.
“I was alarmed by several statistics in the Container Recycling Institute's new study on Aluminum. Let me share one of them with you. In 2001, 100 billion aluminum cans were sold. More than half, over 50 billion, were wasted, which means landfilled, littered or incinerated. If these 50 billion cans had been recycled, they would have saved the energy equivalent of 16 million barrels of crude oil. That is enough energy to generate electricity for almost 3 million U.S. homes for a year,” said Jeffords, in a statement.
“And the trend is worsening: the 2001 aluminum recycling rate was the lowest in 15 years. These statistics are astounding. The waste is disturbing. Our disposal practices have got to change.
The federal government must become a better role model. Or industry must begin taking steps voluntarily. Or Congress must pass recycling legislation. Or all of the above,” Jeffords continued.
“In our search for the right answer or balance of right answers, we will focus on two areas of recycling today,” he added.
Under the bill, Americans would have to pay an upfront deposit of at least 10 cents on virtually all cans and bottles, which could be redeemed upon recycling, essentially superseding the 11 states that already have bottle laws.
Until beverage companies reached the 80 percent recycling rate, they would have to surrender much of the deposits they amass from wasted containers to the states, an amount that could easily reach into the billions of dollars.
"We have a fundamental problem understanding why there's always this focus on beverage containers," said Drew Davis, vice president for federal affairs at the National Soft Drink Association, arguing that bottles and cans account for less than 4 percent of the garbage generated by most cities. "Why not focus on paper or yard waste?"
Two members of the National Recycling Coalition are slated to testify in regards to the bill.
Dobbins Callahan of Collins & Aikman Floorcoverings chairs both the NRC board of directors and NRC's Buy Recycled Business Alliance. Clifford Case of Carter, Ledyard & Milburn is an NRC founder and honorary lifetime board member.
The committee hearing on recycling will include two parts: a session on federal procurement of recycled products, where Callahan and Case will speak, and a session on the national bottle bill introduced by Senator Jim Jeffords, the committee chair.
Callahan will speak about specific obstacles in the federal system that make it difficult for recycled product manufacturers to sell products to the federal government, as well as some proposed solutions. "The federal government has many of the mechanisms it needs already in place to increase its buy recycled purchases, but those mechanisms need to be used more widely and more often," says Callahan.
During his testimony, Case will review the federal government's poor performance in buying recycled products to date. "We have seen limited successes and isolated achievements by the federal government, but by no means has the progress been sufficient," says Case. "Most agencies give lip service to recycling and they do not take their responsibility to buy recycled seriously. That must change," he says.
"Communities and states nationwide have invested millions of dollars in recycling collection and processing systems. Thousands of American companies have invested in the needed research and technology to use those materials to develop high-quality, cost-competitive recycled products. The federal government must now keep up its end of the deal by fully supporting recycling and regularly buying recycled products," says Kate Krebs, NRC's executive director. "We hope the leadership provided today by Senator Jeffords and the Environment and Public Works Committee will reinvigorate the federal government's commitment to recycling and recycled products," says Krebs.
NRC encourages its members and other recycling advocates to make their voices heard on this important issue. Written testimony can be sent to: Senator Jeffords, Chair, Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, 410 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510. You may also fax testimony to (202) 224-1273 or send email to Cameron_Taylor@epw.senate.gov and Duane_Nystrom@epw.senate.gov.