[GreenYes] Senate EPW Hearing on Recycling Held Yesterday

["David Markert" <dmarkert@container-recycling.org>]

Before a standing room only crowd, a hearing on the progress of national
recycling efforts was held yesterday by the Senate Environment & Public
Works Committee.  The hearing was chaired by Sen. Jeffords (I-VT), and
though the committee was scheduled as a full committee hearing, the only
other committee member in attendance was Sen. Carper (D-DE).

The committee evaluated two areas of recycling during the hearing.  First,
it assessed what the federal government has done to ensure the federal
procurement of recycled-content products, and what needs to be done to
improve these efforts. Second, the committee evaluated the concept of
producer responsibility, specifically in relation to the beverage industry.

Testifying before the committee on the issue of beverage producer
responsibility were the following individuals: Darryl Young (Director of CA
Dept. of Conservation), Ed Boisson (Boisson & Associates and Project Manager
of the BEAR report), and Kevin Dietly (Northbridge Environmental Management
Consultants).  The statements of Mr. Young and Mr. Boisson articulated the
need for financial incentives to increase recycling of beverage containers
and acknowledged the superiority of deposit programs over curbside recycling
programs in terms of ability to attain high recycling rates.  Mr. Dietly, a
lobbyist and consultant for the National Soft Drink Association (NSDA) and
other beverage and retail trade associations, spoke against deposit systems
on behalf of the Coalition for Comprehensive Recycling.  The coalition was
formed by NSDA to defeat Sen. Jeffords' beverage producer responsibility
bill, S. 2220.

You can read the statements of Sen. Jeffords and each of the hearing's
witnesses online at: http://www.senate.gov/~epw/stm1_107.htm#07-11-02.


SENATE EPW COMMITTEE MEMBERS

James M. Jeffords, Vermont (Chairman)
Bob Smith, New Hampshire
Max Baucus, Montana
John W. Warner , Virginia
Harry Reid, Nevada
James M. Inhofe, Oklahoma
Bob Graham, Florida
Christopher S. Bond, Missouri
Joseph I. Lieberman, Connecticut
George V. Voinovich, Ohio
Barbara Boxer, California
Michael D. Crapo, Idaho
Ron Wyden, Oregon
Lincoln Chafee, Rhode Island
Thomas R. Carper, Delaware
Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania
Hillary Rodham Clinton, New York
Pete Domenici, New Mexico
Jon S. Corzine, New Jersey

****************************************
David Markert
Research Associate
Container Recycling Institute
1911 N. Fort Myer Drive, Ste. 702
Arlington, VA 22209

TEL:   703.276.9800
FAX:   703.276.9587
EMAIL: dmarkert@container-recycling.org

http://www.container-recycling.org
http://www.bottlebill.info
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