Welcome to CRI's e-Newsletter!

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2020 Vision: Setting Our Sights on Zero Beverage Container Waste

The Container Recycling Institute has initiated a campaign to reverse the growing beverage container wasting trend, in order to make beverage consumption more sustainable. Our goal is Zero Beverage Container Waste by 2020, with interim goals for reducing beverage can and bottle waste by 25% by 2008, 50% by 2012, and 75% by 2016.

The nationwide recycling rate for beverage containers has plummeted from 52% in 1992 to 33% in 2005. In the last decade, Americans wasted more than 8 million tons of aluminum cans: enough to manufacture 360,000 Boeing 737 airplanes. Our thirst for packaged beverages is costing us--both financially and environmentally.

The Zero Beverage Container Website http://www.container-recycling.org/zbcwasteoffers other reasons to start reducing waste today, as well as ways to achieve our goal of Zero beverage container waste.  Join the dozens of groups, cities, colleges and businesses who have endorsed the Zero waste goal and tell us what your group is doing to reduce beverage container waste.

Do America's Beverage Companies make the grade?

Major U.S. beverage companies received failing grades in a study of the recycling performance of their containers.  The Container Recycling Institute and As You Sow, a corporate social responsibility advocacy group, recently released Waste and Opportunity: U.S. Beverage Container Recycling Scorecard and Report, a report card on the beverage industry’s recycling efforts.  While Coca-Cola and PepsiCo earned C's, all other beverage companies surveyed received D's and F's. “There has been insufficient action by the beverage industry to significantly increase beverage container recovery,” said Conrad MacKerron, director of As You Sow’s Corporate Social Responsibility Program. Read the press release (http://www.container-recycling.org/mediafold/newsrelease/general/2006-10-scorecard.htm) for more details.

Israel expands deposit law to cover family-sized bottles

Five years and 1.3 billion containers after Israel's bottle recycling law was enacted, the government has agreed to amend the 2001 Deposit Law to include family-size (1.5 liter) soft drinks bottles. The Knesset is expected to approve this and other amendments by the end of 2006.  "We are delighted that our years of pushing for this change have paid off," comments Gilad Ostrovsky of IUED's solid waste initiative.

California Celebrates 20 Years of Beverage Container Recycling

September 29^th marked the 20^th anniversary of the passage of California’s bottle bill in 1986. Since the deposit law’s implementation in 1987, Californians have recycled over 160 billion beverage containers. In 2005, the state recycled a record 12.4 billion beverage containers, for a recycling rate of 61 percent. The rate is lower than states with nickel or dime deposits, but much higher than states that do not have a bottle bill.

Beginning January 1, 2007, consumers will receive more cash for their recycling efforts. Assembly Bill 3056, signed by Governor Schwarzenegger in September 2006, raises the amount of the California Refund Value (CRV) to 5 cents for containers less than 24 ounces, and 10 cents for containers greater than 24 ounces. The deposit values will remain at 4 cents and 8 cents, respectively, until July 1, 2007, when the deposit values will increase to 5 cents and 10 cents.

Congratulations are also in order for Maine, Michigan and Oregon

Both Maine and Michigan enacted laws requiring deposits on beer and carbonated soft drinks 30 years ago this year, and Oregon’s law, the nation’s oldest bottle bill, was enacted 35 years ago! Maine was the first state to expand its law. In 1989, the state legislature updated Maine's deposit law to include all beverages except milk and cider.

Ontario to start deposit-return system for liquor, wine containers

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty announced on September 10^th that Ontario would start charging deposits on all liquor and wine containers sold through Liquor Control Board stores as of next February.

"It's simple, it's straightforward," said McGuinty. "We're going to take advantage of a Beer Store infrastructure. It'll be consumer friendly, and it'll be great for the environment," he said. The deposit will be comparable to other provinces - between 10 and 40 cents a container, depending on the size.

The Association of Municipalities of Ontario - whose members split the cost of the blue box program with companies like the LCBO - applauded the new deposit-return system Sunday. AMO estimates Ontario property taxpayers pay about $23 million a year to collect, process and market glass containers sold by the LCBO that end up in blue boxes. "An LCBO deposit-return makes good sense environmentally and economically," said AMO president Doug Reycraft. Environment Minister Laurel Broten said the new plan for LCBO containers could divert up to the equivalent of about 80 million bottles from landfills each year.

Upcoming Events

The Association of Oregon Recycler's is holding its 2006 Fall Forum on December 6 to "explore issues surrounding modernizing Oregon's ground-breaking Bottle Bill."  For more information, visit the Oregon Recyclers' Web site at www.aORr.org.