SALEM, Ore. -- Momentum is growing in Oregon to update the state’s bottle bill to include water bottles and noncarbonated beverages that come in cans.
Recycling advocates say that an undated bill makes sense environmentally, by cutting down on roadside litter, reports The Oregonian.
The state legislature is expected to take up the issue when it opens on January 8. Advocates say that times have changed since the state first introduced a bottle bill, especially the growth of energy drinks and bottled water.
Lee Barrett, chairman of the Association of Oregon Recyclers, told the newspaper that the interest in revising the bottle bill can be attributed to a rising economy, Democratic control of the Oregon legislature and waning influence of some key interest groups.
“I have never seen a more positive climate for doing something to modernize our bottle bill," state Rep. Vicki Berger told the newspaper. Berger’s father was instrumental in passing the original bill.
However, advocates also haven’t yet agreed upon a method to handle the new containers, if a law were enacted. Potential solutions range from a complete system overhaul to privately run redemption centers to minor modifications to the existing system, reports the newspaper.
That last option has retailers concerned.
“The retail community is pleading with the recycling community to not support expansion and increase the sanitation problems created in our stores by the current bottle bill,” says Northwest Grocery Association (NWGA) President Joe Gilliam. “Fresh food and refuse should not be mandated to cross paths.”
Gilliam added that “any change needs to be consumer friendly. Bottle bills actually add an extra step for the consumer and make it less convenient and more costly.”
When the session opens next year, Berger says she will introduce a bill to require deposits on all water bottles and aluminum cans that contain noncarbonated drinks. "It's an incredible resource that's being wasted," she told the newspaper.
Meanwhile, NWGA said it will oppose and fight expansion of the Oregon bottle bill. “We will do it because expansion erodes curbside programs and consumer convenience, increases costs, and conflicts with our sanitation goals as purveyors of fresh food,” said Gilliam.