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Re: [greenyes] Deposit Laws: Waste News Editorial
As a former employee of a  grocery retailer in British Columbia I have been
actively
involved in Deposit issues for over 15 years. Massive amounts of resources
both in time and dollars have been spent fighting, and continuing to fight
Deposits in British Columbia, despite the fact that the program is extremely
successful.

It is the only  deposit program (as far as I know) that is completely funded
by the consumer. There is no cost to the brand owner or retailer for the
system. The entire cost of the program was successfully passed onto the
consumer over two years ago. A container management fee  is charged to the
consumer at shelf level. It is a good example of the user pay principle. I
was responsible for handling any consumer issues at Head Office and we
received very few concerns. Most  of the people who called were concerned
that it was a government tax. Most were satisfied when we explained that the
charge was industry initiated. There was no negative effect on sales
whatsoever. In British Columbia the consumer is allowed several options for
returning their containers, including to the grocery store ( although a
recent change penalizes grocers who choose to encourage this practice)

Despite this, the industry continues to fight to eliminate deposits in BC as
well as elsewhere in the world.

I would recommend that anyone wishing to find out more about this successful
program contact the Recycling Council of British Columbia at
http://www.rcbc.bc.ca/


Dennis Kinsey

Common Ground Solutions LTD
cell # 604-970-4407
fax # 604-462-8663
web - www.cgsltd.com
e-mail kinsey1@no.address

----- Original Message -----
From: "Peter Anderson" <anderson@no.address>
To: "GreenYes" <greenyes@no.address>
Sent: Monday, March 17, 2003 12:31 PM
Subject: [greenyes] Deposit Laws: Waste News Editorial


>
>
> WASTE NEWS - 3/17/03
> Bottle bill: Nein, danke
> By Allan Gerlat
>
> Bottle deposit laws continue to be one of the most contentious
environmental
> measures in the United States. In 2002 Hawaii was the first state since
1986
> to pass such a law, but now the new governor wants to repeal it. A
national
> bottle law gets introduced periodically but goes nowhere, thanks in no
small
> part to the efforts of the beverage industry.
> Advocates and opponents of bottle deposit laws will continue to debate the
> issue. But to see how difficult implementing such a law can be, look at
> Germany, the fatherland of recycling. That nation passed a new deposit law
> on cans and bottles Jan. 1. All carbonated soft drinks and beer sold in
cans
> or plastic bottles carry a new deposit cost of 27 to 54 cents per
container.
> The surprising result in a country renowned for its environmentalism is
that
> can and bottle sales from various producers are off 20 to 60 percent.
>
> The problem, advocates of the law say, is one familiar to bottle law
> proponents in the United States. The beverage makers spent their time and
> resources fighting the law rather than developing the infrastructure to
> return the bottles and cans. So German consumers now have to return
> containers to the store where they were purchased and provide a sales
> receipt as proof.
>
> The situation underscores how much beverage makers need to be part of a
> container solution, whether it´s a deposit law or something else. Beverage
> companies, apparently around the world, hate deposit laws, because it adds
> costs and hassle that they fear will discourage the consumer. In Germany,
at
> least for now, those fears certainly are proving true.
>
> But long-term, the beverage makers will be better off to not bury their
head
> in the sand on the issue of what happens to containers. Bite the bullet
and
> work to make a bottle law fulfill its purpose with as little burden as
> possible. Or come up with another viable solution.
>
> Because ultimately, the manufacturers are the middlemen in the waste
> management chain that begins with the consumer and ends with the
> environment. In the final analysis, it´s consumers who will decide whether
> they´re willing to pay to address a very visible part of the waste stream.
>
>
>
> ______________________________
> Peter Anderson
> RECYCLEWORLDS CONSULTING Corp
> 4513 Vernon Blvd. Suite 15
> Madison, WI 53705
> Ph:    (608) 231-1100
> Fax:   (608) 233-0011
> Cell    (608) 438-9062
> email: anderson@no.address
>
>
>
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