- Subject: Re: [GreenYes] NSDA Sponsorship of America Recycles Day - anecdote
- From: Ben Marks <EcoBen@erols.com>
- Date: Tue, 20 Nov 2001 23:42:43 -0500
My thoughts on the NSDA--- I recalled meeting a young Jeff Foote at a Virginia Recycling Association conference in 1992 or 1993. I was a brash young recycler at that time and in one of the workgroup sessions led by Jeff, I asked innocently enough why there wasn't a national container deposit law to encourage greater incentive to recycle? I meant it? Why wasn't there? Well I had no idea that I had just tugged on Superman's cape and spit into the wind. It was kind of mortifying that I had asked the point person for the NSDA to justify a policy issue. A few well seasoned recyclers took me aside and told me that the question I asked just wasn't the kind of thing that was done at a recycling workshop....especially one where the NSDA had plunked down sponsorship dollars. Well I bounced around in the world of recycling policy for several more years before moving on to green building issues at the late EcoSmart in New York. Now I am at Pace Law School in White Plains where I am studying environmental law. Its never too late to teach an old dog some new tricks. Ben Marks 1L at Pace Law 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 > ******************************************** > > ****************************************** > To post to the greenyes list, > email to: greenyes@grrn.org > > Subscription information for > this list is available here: > http://www.grrn.org/general/greenyes.html > ******************************************