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Nickel Bottle BillSher Amends SB 23 to increase recycling refund value to 5 cents Senate Bill 23 by State Senator Byron Sher was amended this week to, among other things increase the recycling refund value on beverage containers from 2 ½ cents per container to 5 cents (10 cents on containers 24 ounces and larger). The measure, if enacted, is projected to boost recycling levels from the current 60% level to 80% or more. Action Alert: Support Letters for SB 23 (Sher) to the Senate Natural Resources Committee are needed ASAP Over its 15 year history, California's beverage container recycling program incentives and infrastructure have resulted in the recycling of more than 9 million tons of aluminum, glass and plastic beverage containers. No program or policy in the state has resulted in higher recycling levels, and no program of its kind in the country has been found to be more cost effective*. Despite this success, recycling levels have stagnated over the last three years. In 2002 roughly 40% of beverage containers sold were not recycled leaving more than 634,500 tons of container material to be littered or landfilled. The cost to public agencies and ratepayers for managing this waste is in excess of $63 million annually. At the same time, the state's recycling and processing infrastructure is underutilized, and glass container manufacturers have expressed concern regarding a shortage of recycled glass to make new containers. An analysis of refund values and recycling rates in other state's and Canadian provinces with Bottle Bill programs suggests that increasing the refund value to 5 cents will increase recycling levels from the current 60% level to 80% or more, resulting in the recycling of an additional 225,000 to 250,000 tons of beverage container material, and an avoided disposal cost savings to public agencies and ratepayers of approximately $250 million annually. It is against this backdrop that local governments, curbside recycling programs, non-profit and private recyclers, environmental organizations and others have called on policy makers to upgrade the consumer refund value from the current 2 ½ cents per container to the 5 cents (10 cents on containers 24 ounces and larger). This is the same level of refund value currently in place in Oregon and most other 'bottle bill' states. The measure is scheduled to be heard in the Senate Natural Resources
Committee on April 22. Mark Murray's Contact Information is: |
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