Re: [GreenYes] NSDA Sponsorship of America Recycles Day

[Helen Spiegelman <hspie@telus.net>]

Thanks for the reflections -- and for the news from Australia, Pat. It is
interesting that the Canadian 'Corporations Supporting Recycling' (led by
the CSDA) retained a reputable polling firm (Angus Reid) in 1998 to take
a read on attitudes towards deposits in British Columbia, where the
deposit system was being expanded to include all beverages except milk --
despite a decade of threats and blandishments from the CSDA and its
allies. What Angus Reid told the CSR must have been discouraging:

'almost all (96%) feel that deposits are a good idea because they provide
an incentive to recycle'

Further, the poll found that British Columbians feel that the
inconvenience of returning containers for the deposit appears to be 'only
a minor concern'.

Other findings:

• awareness of the deposit is high (93%)
• incidence of returning containers for deposit is 82%
• participation (people who return their containers to get the money back) is 74%
• cutting the 20-cent refund on 2 l containers in half would cause 10% of people to be less likely to return their containers

h.

At 01:18 PM 11/20/2001 -0800, Pat Franklin wrote:
> My thoughts on the NSDA sponsorship
> of ARD . . . . .
>
>
> With America Recycles Day (ARD) 2001 behind us, and the prospect of
> yet another year of declining recycling rates for glass, aluminum
> and
> plastic beverage containers, I find it appalling that the National Soft
> Drink
> (NSDA) was, again this year, one of the twelve major sponsors of
> ARD.
>
> The NSDA is the trade association representing the nation's two
> major
> soft drink  manufacturers, Coke and Pepsi as well as smaller soda
> companies
> and bottlers. While we, as a nation, trash 45 billion soda cans and
> bottles
> annually, Coke, Pepsi and the NSDA spend hundreds of thousands of
> dollars each year to oppose new and expanded bottle bills, the only
> proven
> system that can stop the waste associated with their throwaway cans
> and
> bottles.   And, they continue to work feverishly to defeat
> existing bottle bills
> that are responsible for the lions share of beverage container that do
> get
> recycled.
>
> Until the NSDA stops their war on bottle bills they should not be a
> sponsor of America Recycles Day.
>
> Pat Franklin
> Exec Dir
> Container Recycling Institute
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Interestingly, we received the following press release last night from
> the Local
> Government & Shires Associations of New South Wales, Australia. 
> It seems
> they, too, have a beef with the beverage industry.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>         LOCAL GOVERNMENT INSISTS
> NATIONAL RECYCLING WEEK
>                
> IS TIME FOR A GOOD LOOK AT RECYCLING
>
> (14 November 2001, Sydney, Australia) -- National Recycling Week
> provides a good opportunity to consider the environmental, social
> and economic value of recycling, according to the Local Government
> and Shires Associations of NSW (LGSA).
>
> "Every year during National Recycling Week the beverage and
> packaging
> industry feed us selective information. It is time the public was
> made
> aware of all the facts about the industry," said Cr Peter Woods
> OAM,
> President of the Local Government Association of NSW.
>
> "The beverage and packaging industry produces massive quantities
> of
> worthless single use containers and generates substantial profits
> which
> they use to pad the campaign coffers of the major political 
> parties.
>
> "Meanwhile, they urge the public to 'do the right thing' by
> recycling these
> unnecessary containers and councils are left with problem of picking
> up
> worthless materials which cannot be economically recycled. It is time
> to
> pull the plug on this sham," said Cr Woods.
>
> Cr Mike Montgomery, President of the Shires Association of NSW,
> stated that rural councils are under huge pressure from the State
> Government and industry, through the 'National Packaging Covenant',
> to
> get involved in kerbside recycling.
>
> "The fact is, kerbside collection is even less viable in regional
> areas,
> due to the huge distances involved in collection of the materials
> and
> dispatching them to markets, limited as they are. Kerbside
> collection
> will simply milk the already battling rural sector even
> further."
>
> Crs Woods and Montgomery have called a meeting of all mayors on
> Wednesday 21 November.
>
> "Councils across NSW, rural and metro, are united in their call
> for
> action," said Cr Montgomery.
>
> "We shall be seeking absolute assurances from industry that it will
> ensure
> the economic, environmental and social sustainability of recycling. We
> also
> seek a commitment from Bob Carr's government that the CDL Inquiry
> Report
> will be released and duly considered. Without these assurances,
> kerbside
> recycling may well grind to a halt as contracts come up for
> renewal,"
> concluded Cr Montgomery.
>
>                                
> # # #
>
>
> Pat Franklin
> Executive Director
> Container Recycling Institute
> 1911 Ft Myer Drive, Suite 702
> Arlington, Virginia  22209
> 703.276.9800  fax 703.276.9587
> email:PFranklin@Container-Recycling.org
> www.Container-Recycling.org
> www.BottleBill.org
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