NWRA chapter sees flaws in Illinois bottle bill

The Illinois Chapter of the Arlington, Virginia-based National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA) has testified in opposition to legislation that would create a deposit-return system (DRS) for beverage containers in that state.

The proposed State Beverage Container Recycling Refunds Act (SB 85) would establish a container recycling redemption refund program that the NWRA chapter says will create cost inefficiencies for residential recycling programs. NWRA says the legislation is not expected to move forward during the spring 2023 legislative session.

“Studies have shown that bottle bills do not achieve the goals its supporters expect,” NWRA President and CEO Darrell Smith says. “We appreciate the opportunity to express our concerns to state legislators in Illinois.”

In the Prairie State, NWRA Illinois Chapter member John Pausma from Homewood, Illinois-based Homewood Disposal, testified how, from his company’s point of view, a bottle bill will trigger increased costs for residential recycling programs.

That circumstance occurs, Pausma said, when aluminum used beverage cans (UBCs) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic beverage bottles—among the most valuable materials—are removed from the recycling bin.

Among the backers of the bill is the Washington-based Can Manufacturers Institute (CMI). “Recycling refund programs play a vital role in raising beverage container recycling rates, and this legislation would have a significant impact on improving Illinois’ environment and boosting its economy,” says Scott Breen, CMI vice president of sustainability.

The NWRA represents the private sector waste and recycling services industry, with members who conduct business in all 50 states.

Earlier in April, NWRA testified in opposition to a proposed expansion of a bottle bill program in Vermont, saying the expansion “would be disruptive to the recycling markets and increase curbside recycling costs for consumers and municipalities.”

In that testimony, NWRA referred to a report it prepared that found although DRS programs do lead to “substantially greater recovery overall, they also lead to higher costs and lower revenues at material recovery facilities (MRFs) as high-value materials move to the deposit system and out of MRFs.”

NWRA says its research estimates municipalities can see an increase of approximately $2.50 to $5 per household per year in MRF costs, depending on the DRS scenario.

Also in April, the Reloop North America office of the Brussels-based Reloop Platform started promoting 10 high-performance principles for an effective DRS program, along with what it calls 10 essential practices to build into a DRS policy or piece of legislation.

Sponsored Content

SENNEBOGEN 340G telehandler improves the view in Macon County, NC

An elevated cab is one of several features improving operational efficiency at the Macon County Solid Waste Management agency in North Carolina. When it comes to waste management, efficiency, safety and reliability are priorities driving decisions from day one, according to staff members of the Macon County Solid Waste Management Department in western North Carolina. The agency operates a recycling plant in a facility originally designed to bale incoming materials. More recently, the building has undergone significant transformations centered around one machine: a SENNEBOGEN telehandler (telescopic handler).

Sponsored Content

SENNEBOGEN 340G telehandler improves the view in Macon County, NC

An elevated cab is one of several features improving operational efficiency at the Macon County Solid Waste Management agency in North Carolina. When it comes to waste management, efficiency, safety and reliability are priorities driving decisions from day one, according to staff members of the Macon County Solid Waste Management Department in western North Carolina. The agency operates a recycling plant in a facility originally designed to bale incoming materials. More recently, the building has undergone significant transformations centered around one machine: a SENNEBOGEN telehandler (telescopic handler).

Sponsored Content

SENNEBOGEN 340G telehandler improves the view in Macon County, NC

An elevated cab is one of several features improving operational efficiency at the Macon County Solid Waste Management agency in North Carolina. When it comes to waste management, efficiency, safety and reliability are priorities driving decisions from day one, according to staff members of the Macon County Solid Waste Management Department in western North Carolina. The agency operates a recycling plant in a facility originally designed to bale incoming materials. More recently, the building has undergone significant transformations centered around one machine: a SENNEBOGEN telehandler (telescopic handler).

Sponsored Content

SENNEBOGEN 340G telehandler improves the view in Macon County, NC

An elevated cab is one of several features improving operational efficiency at the Macon County Solid Waste Management agency in North Carolina. When it comes to waste management, efficiency, safety and reliability are priorities driving decisions from day one, according to staff members of the Macon County Solid Waste Management Department in western North Carolina. The agency operates a recycling plant in a facility originally designed to bale incoming materials. More recently, the building has undergone significant transformations centered around one machine: a SENNEBOGEN telehandler (telescopic handler).

Sponsored Content

SENNEBOGEN 340G telehandler improves the view in Macon County, NC

An elevated cab is one of several features improving operational efficiency at the Macon County Solid Waste Management agency in North Carolina. When it comes to waste management, efficiency, safety and reliability are priorities driving decisions from day one, according to staff members of the Macon County Solid Waste Management Department in western North Carolina. The agency operates a recycling plant in a facility originally designed to bale incoming materials. More recently, the building has undergone significant transformations centered around one machine: a SENNEBOGEN telehandler (telescopic handler).

Sponsored Content

SENNEBOGEN 340G telehandler improves the view in Macon County, NC

An elevated cab is one of several features improving operational efficiency at the Macon County Solid Waste Management agency in North Carolina. When it comes to waste management, efficiency, safety and reliability are priorities driving decisions from day one, according to staff members of the Macon County Solid Waste Management Department in western North Carolina. The agency operates a recycling plant in a facility originally designed to bale incoming materials. More recently, the building has undergone significant transformations centered around one machine: a SENNEBOGEN telehandler (telescopic handler).

Among those 10 principles, Reloop says, is to “provide financial support for municipal recycling programs.”