[GreenYes] Reduce, Reuse, Refill!

[Brenda Platt <bplatt@ilsr.org>]

Reduce, Reuse, Refill!

Did you know that 98% of soda containers and 73% of beer containers are
refilled in Finland?  In Denmark, at least 90% of beverage containers
are refilled.  In Germany, 75% of beer and soda are offered in
refillables.  Closer to home in Canada, more than 80% of beer is sold in
refillables in Prince Edward Island, Ontario, and Quebec.  In these
jurisdictions, policies are in place to require, if not support
refilling.  In the U.S., less than 5% of beverage containers are
refilled.

When compared to one-way containers, refillable containers contribute
less to global warming, acid rain, smog, and solid waste.  They use less
energy and they're cheaper.  They're the zero waste approach!  U.S.
beverage companies offer their products for sale in Europe and elsewhere
in refillables.  Why not in the U.S.?  What policies could be replicated
in the U.S.?  How can we revive and rebuild the refillable
infrastructure?

With partial support from the GrassRoots Recycling Network, ILSR has
launched a new Web site to address these issues.  Go to
http://www.ilsr.org/recycling and click on Refillable Beverage
Containers to get to our Reduce, Reuse, Refill! Web site.

We are also supporting Senator Jeffords Senate Bill 2220, the National
Beverage Producer Responsibility Act of 2002.  If passed, the bill would
be the first national legislation to include an incentive for
refilling.  Beverage brand owners would be allowed to achieve a recovery
level lower than 80% if they use refillable beverage containers.  Given
the environmental advantages of refillable beverage containers over
one-way containers, we are urging Senator Jeffords to strengthen the
language in the bill to more directly reward refilling over recycling.
Specifically we'd like to see the bill include mechanisms for providing
financial incentives to companies that convert to refillables.

For a copy of ILSR's written testimony on Senate Bill 2220, go to
http://www.ilsr.org/recycling/wtw_news.html.

If you are interested in joining or supporting a campaign to revive
refilling in the U.S., send an email to Brenda Platt at bplatt@ilsr.org.



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