[greenyes] Vote which would harm glass recycling imminent in Oregon

[Jenny Gitlitz <jenny.gitlitz@no.address>]

------ Forwarded Message
From: "aorlist" <list@no.address>
Date: Wed, 21 May 2003 13:37:43 -0700
To: <Undisclosed-Recipient:;>
Subject: aorlist: HB 3637

AOR members-

You many not have heard of HB3637 - the "Glass to Trash" bill sponsored by
the Oregon Beer and Wine Association. It came out of nowhere on May 12, when
it was introduced in the Oregon House of Representatives.

The House Environment Committee passed the bill by a 5-2 vote last Thursday.
It is likely to go to the full House for a vote this week.

HB 3637 amends Oregon Revised Statutes (ORS) 459A.080 to say that it is OK
to dispose of source-separated recyclable glass that has been properly
prepared and set out for recycling. In its orginal form, derived from the
Opportunity to Recycle Act passed in 1983, ORS 459A.080 prohibits the
disposal of source-separated recyclable materials. The concept behind the
existing ORS 459A.080 is simple - if people are taking the time to properly
prepare their recyclables to be recycled, they should be able to have faith
in the system and feel assured that their recyclables are not being sent to
a landfill.

HB 3637's sponsors seem to feel it is appropriate to throw away a recyclable
material collected under the Bottle Bill. However, their proposal can also
be applied to glass set out in curbside programs and dropped off at public
depots. These recycling services are being paid for by the public in their
monthly garbage bills.

The bill's proponents have testified that no markets exist in rural areas
and that glass is not allowed to be used as aggregate in roadbeds or for
other construction purposes. This is absolutely without foundation. In 1996,
DEQ and the Oregon Dept. of Transportation worked to develop specs for the
use of crushed glass in a number of applications. If you would like to see
these specs, the AOR Office has a copy.

Not only does HB 3637 hurt glass recycling, but can undermine the public's
faith in recycling as a whole. Though it's not this simple, it is a short
hop from seeing glass being landfilled to believing everything is
landfilled. 

AOR members around the state have dedicated themselves to making recycling
convenient and efficient. The recycling industry in Oregon represents
millions of dollars and thousands of jobs. AOR has written a letter opposing
HB 3637 which has been distributed to all the members of the Oregon House.
That letter will be posted on the AOR website <http://www.aorr.org/> later
today or tomorrow.

We ask that you contact your representatives and strongly urge them to vote
NO on HB 3637 - the Glass to Trash bill. Feel free to use any of the points
in this email or the AOR letter in your own letter. If you write, please
email a copy of your letter or email to AOR for the file on this bill.

To find out who your Oregon Legislators are, go to the following Web site
and type in your address. It will give you a list of both federal and state
representatives, including contact information for each. Be sure to choose
the state representative:

http://www.leg.state.or.us/findlegsltr/findset.htm

To write to your legislators, you can use the form on the Oregon
Legislature's site:

http://www.leg.state.or.us/writelegsltr/writeset.htm

Public employees - be sure to respect Oregon law by using personal time
rather than work time to contact your legislator.

Here is a copy of HB 3637 as it looks in printed form:

http://www.dashr.state.or.us/LEG_BILLS/PDFs/HB3637.pdf

HB 3637 is bad for recycling. Please write your legislator and tell them you
oppose it.

__________________________________________

--- aorlist
__________________________________________

To post a message to the list, send e-mail to list@no.address To
subscribe/unsubscribe from the list, send e-mail with the word
SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE as the subject to list@no.address


------ End of Forwarded Message


--Jenny

Jennifer Gitlitz
Research Director, Container Recycling Institute

Home Office:
2 Pomeroy Ave.
Dalton, MA 01226
Tel. (413) 684-4746
eFax: (928) 833-0460
Email: jgitlitz@no.address

Container Recycling Institute headquarters:
1911 N. Ft. Myer Dr. #702
Arlington, VA 22209-1603
Tel. (703) 276-9800
Fax: (703) 276-9587
www.container-recycling.org
www.bottlebill.org