Soft drink containers, beer bottles, aluminum cans and even some types of water bottles are hoarded and returned to the store for nickels in states with container deposit or bottle bill laws. These laws encourage consumers to recycle. And yet the bottle bill exists in only 11 states. 

Oregon was first to have a bottle bill with a deposit, according to Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality. By 1986, 10 states followed suit, implementing their own versions of the bill.  Not long after, several states saw a reduction in beverage container litter and total litter, according to Betty McLaughlin, executive director of the Container Recycling Institute, a bottle bill lobbying group.

Michigan’s bottle bill is the prime example of the bottle bill’s success. It has the highest redemption rate among bottle bill states—a whopping 97.3 percent, according to the institute.

The bill’s positive effects can be seen in national recycling statistics as well. Approximately 44 percent of aluminum beer and soft drink cans were recycled in 2005, along with 34 percent of plastic soft drink bottles and 25 percent of glass containers, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Some of this can be attributed to the bottle bill. 

Because of the bottle bill’s successes, other states looking to increase recycling rates are working to implement similar measures.  These include:

North Carolina, where state Sen. Doug Berger leads the current campaign and has discovered how well-liked the bill is among his constituents.. Though the senator’s bill was not voted on in the long session, it will be heard during the short session in May 2008, according to Erika Shearin, research assistant to the senator.

Tennessee, which has some of the lowest recycling rates among the nation, according to Marge Davis, coordinator of the Tennessee Bottle Bill Project. State? Sen. Doug Jackson and Rep. Mike Turner are sponsoring Tennessee’s proposed bottle bill. Action on the bill was delayed until 2008 to give supporters time to line up votes needed for passage, according to Pride of Place, a volunteer effort founded to clean up Tennessee.

Arkansas, where students in an environmental studies science class in Arkansas, led by class teacher Suzanne Wilmoth, are rallying support for a bottle bill proposed by state representative Johnnie Roebuck. The bill did not pass in the 2007 legislature, but will come up again in the 2009 session. “We need to quit talking about problems and talk about solutions.  It has become increasingly clear that [we] need policy,” Wilmoth said.

West Virginia, where the West Virginia Citizen Action Group is rallying to pass a bottle bill. The bill was introduced in both the House and the Senate in January 2008.  “We need to recycle more and have less litter, and we need to have a financial incentive for people to do so,” said Linda Frame, head of the action group.

Maryland, where a bottle bill was introduced by delegate Peter Hammen in 2008, but has not yet been passed. The Baltimore Harbor and Watershed Association is  supporting  the bill. “More than 50 percent of floating debris [in the Baltimore Harbor] is a result of bottles,” said Phil Lee, president of the association.

Despite the bottle bill’s popularity, a national bill proves difficult to pass. Companies such as the International Bottled Water Association, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, Miller Brewing and the National Grocers Association spend millions of dollars lobbying against bottle bills.

“We do not support forced deposit laws. The bottle bill is expensive to administer and it works against curbside programs,” said Stephen Kay, vice president of communications for the International Bottled Water Association.

The association instead supports curbside programs because of their convenience and cost-effectiveness for the consumer. Additionally, “having deposits on beverage containers and bottle water ignores the wider range of plastic packaging that consumers use,” Kay said.

Retailers like Wal-Mart and Meijer argue that the bills require retailers to have recycling centers, which can be an expensive hassle.

“The recycling machines are hugely expensive to buy and maintain,” said Stacey Behler, vice president of public affairs at Meijer, Inc. The machines become dirty and sticky and are an inconvenience because of empty cans and bottles constantly coming into the store.  “Meijer is supportive of recycling, just not of bringing garbage into grocery stores,” Behler said.

Lobbying is so powerful that even proponents of a national bill admit it would be difficult to pass. “From a logical standpoint, looking at the costs and benefits, [having a national bottle bill] is not a difficult decision to make,” said Peter Spendelow, solid waste policy analyst for the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality. “But those who oppose the bill are so vocal that it is hard for the supporting voices to be heard.”

In regards to possible new bottle bills, discretion is the name of the game, according to McLaughlin. She explains that legislators proposing a bottle bill must proceed with caution because the opposition is fierce. “The last thing [legislators] want is to tip their hand and get defeated before they are out of the box.”

Kerri Jo Molitor is a freshman studying journalism at MSU.  This is her first appearance in EJ Magazine Online.  Contact her at molitork@msu.edu