[greenyes] FW: [greenyes] National Bottle Bill - Senator Jeffords Takes to Senate Floor

["Pat Franklin" <pfranklin@no.address>]

I'd like to followup on an email message a few days ago from Debbie Rubin
Fields about Israel's bottle bill.  I forwarded her email on to Fran Ran,
Development Director of the Israel Union for Environmental Defense who
responded as follows:



The Deposit Law on Beverage Containers  ("the Deposit Law"), now in force
for two years, is proving to be an extremely effective agent for changing
how commerce and consumers relate to the disposal of plastic beverage
bottles - and cans. In its first twelve months of operation, over 15,000
tons of containers (110 million units) were sent for recycling instead of
burial in landfills. Despite the foot-dragging of the corporation set up by
the Manufacturers' Association to handle the collection and recycling of
containers, and the reluctance of many small retailers to comply with the
law, the public has welcomed the law. Needless to say, it has also generated
a host of small-time entrepreneurs who collect cans and bottles from garbage
cans and the street.



An attempt by the Grocers' Association to be excused from their obligations
under the law was opposed by us in court, and their petition was turned
down.



Our commitment to the Deposit Bill -  and to its rigorous implementation -
continues. We have worked closely with stakeholders and Knesset members to
successfully counter a threatened proposal to cancel the law, and we have
worked with the Environment Ministry in drawing up amendments that will
include "family" (1.5 liter bottles), a provision that was deleted from the
original proposal (as Debbi Rubin Fields mentions) despite strong
protestations by IUED and our partners in the Deposit Forum.



We have also met with diverse stakeholders -the recycling corporation,
leading retail chains, and the major plastic recycling agency, as well as
the Environment Ministry - to prepare for what promises to be a tough
lobbying period this fall.  We have also persuaded the Israel Consumers
Association to abandon their opposition to the law (mainly based on the sort
of frustrations that consumers have encountered, as mentioned by Debbi) and
to join forces with us in advancing amendments to the Deposit Law.  Our
shared goal is now to encourage and reward consumer participation in the
recycling process by making the return of containers - and the refunding of
deposits - as accessible and burden-free as possible.





Thanks and regards, Pat,



Fran Ran

Development Director

Adam Teva V'Din - the Israel Union for Environmental Defense

85 Nahalat Binyamin Street, Tel Aviv 66102, Israel

Tel: 972-3-5669939

http://www.iued.org.il





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I hope the national bottle bill does better than it has done in other

countries.  For example, In Israel, after a very long legislative battle,

special interest groups (including not surprisingly the beverage makers)

succeeded in having the law cover only the personal size (1/2 liter) plastic

bottles and glass bottles.  The family size bottles were excluded from the

law.  In addition, since its enactment many small grocers have stopped

complying with the law, as they are not being paid by the designated

infrastructure.  Some large groceries refuse to take the deposit bottles

back on Fridays (when shopping is heaviest).  The large chains that do have

return machines, only get one machine.  Thus, individuals who return

quantities of bottles tend to cause "traffic jams."

However, an increasing number of individual cities and town councils order

collection bins from a plastic recycling company.  This picks up some of the

slack that the law has created.



Debbie Rubin Fields

write_debbie@no.address



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Patricia Franklin

Executive Director

Container Recycling Institute

1911 N. Fort Myer Drive, Ste. 702

Arlington, VA 22209

TEL: 703.276.9800

FAX: 703.276.9587

EMAIL: pfranklin@no.address

http://www.container-recycling.org

http://www.bottlebill.info

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