Directions—please write a few paragraphs to answer the following questions about

ID: 355167 • Letter: D

Question

Directions—please write a few paragraphs to answer the following questions about bottle recycling. You will need to use sources beyond our text book-- please use high-quality sources available on the internet or articles in journals or books. Start with the background sources I suggest below which can be found via a Google search. Be sure to provide citations to sources used. Provide the URL and date accessed for websites used.

Currently, 10 states have passed bottle bills: California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Oregon, and Vermont. Although each state's law is unique, there are similarities that characterize how a deposit/refund system for beverage containers is designed. Chief among these is the fact that consumers and retailers have a natural incentive to return used containers so that they can recover their deposits. In that sense, bottle bills are self-implementing. Once the deposit system is in place, market forces take over.

Aside from the economic rationale for these market instruments, they are also credited with achieving significant environmental gains. Among these are markedly higher return rates for beverage containers and reduced littering.

All of this begs the obvious question. Why haven't more states passed bottle bills? The quick answer is that there has been sufficiently strong voter opposition at the state level to prevent more widespread use of these particular deposit/refund systems.

a. (10 points) Investigate and then summarize several reasons why voters oppose the passage of bottle bills.

b. (15 points: 5 part i, 10 part ii) Research the case of Hawaii, the most recent state to pass a bottle bill.

i.) Briefly describe the components of Hawaii’s current bottle bill. What is Hawaii’s most recently reported recycling rate and how does that compare to other states recycling rates as reported in the EPA’s 2001 report listed below?

ii.) Identify the process undertaken to gain approval of Hawaii’s bottle bill. What were the chief concerns of voters, and how did proponents address these reservations?

Explanation / Answer

ISSUE This report compares state beverage container laws (i.e., bottle bills) based on the types of containers subject to the laws, required deposit amounts, and amount of any applicable handling fees. The report also summarizes legislation considered in Connecticut, since 2000, to change the amount of the state’s handling fee.

SUMMARY As Attachment 1 shows, 2 states have bottle bills: California, Connecticut The types of beverage containers covered by a bottle bill varies by state but may include containers for beer or other malt beverages, soft drinks, waters, or wine or liquor.

The laws generally require a minimum refundable deposit on beverage containers to encourage recycling. The amounts vary depending on the state and type of beverage container involved, ranging from a low of 2 cents in Oregon for reusable containers to a high of 15 cents in Maine for wine or spirit containers.

Most bottle bills also impose a handling fee, an amount paid to retailers or redemption centers for collecting, sorting, and packaging empty beverage containers to be taken back to the bottler or distributor. The fee is often paid by the bottler or distributor. (In California, the state pays the handling fee and it is used to subsidize recyclers in certain areas.) Two states, Michigan and Oregon, have no handling fee. Of the eight states with a handling fee, the per container fees range from a low of 1 cent in Iowa to a high of four cents in Hawaii, Maine, and Vermont for certain containers. There may be different handling fees within a state based on the type of container involved, the facility that receives the containers, or whether containers are commingled such as in Maine and Vermont. Connecticut’s handling fees are 1.5 cents for each beer or malt beverage container and 2 cents for all others (CGS § 22a-245). As Attachment 2 shows, since 2000 the legislature has considered seven bills to amend the handling fee amounts. The proposed changes often involved increasing one or both handling fees, although in 2008 the Environment Committee considered a proposal to eliminate the fee for beer and malt beverage containers and to reduce the fee for other containers. Most recently, the committee considered expanding the state’s bottle bill to include wine, sparkling wine, champagne, and liquor, coupled with a higher handling fee (5 cents) for these beverages’ containers.

Attachment 1: State Bottle Bill Provisions on Beverage Containers Covered, Deposit Amounts, and Applicable Handling Fees

State and Citation

Beverage Containers Covered

Deposit Amount (per container)

Handling Fee Amount (per container)

California

beer or other malt beverages,

· including wine or distilled spirit coolers mineral water, soda water, or

· similar carbonated soft drinks water, flavored water, and sports

· drinks fruit juice drinks of less than 46

· ounces, carbonated fruit drinks, and vegetable juice of up to 16 ounces coffee and tea drinks

5 cents for containers of less than 24 ounces 10 cents for containers of at least

· 24 ounces

1.046 cents

Connecticut

beer or other malt beverages

· mineral water, soda water, or

· similar carbonated soft drinks water, including flavored or

· nutritionally enhanced water

5 cents

1.5 cents for beer or malt

· beverage containers 2 cents for a carbonated soft drink or

· water containers