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But over the years, Oregon's trendsetting law has become as dated as
shag carpeting and bell-bottom jeans, eclipsed by other states with
broader deposit laws covering more containers. Hoping to catch up
and promote more recycling, the Oregon House on Thursday endorsed a
measure adding water bottles to the deposit law. The bill, approved
by the state Senate last month, is expected to win final House
approval and be signed into law soon by Gov. Ted Kulongoski.
Backers hailed the bill as a major improvement that will keep
millions of containers out of landfills.
Opponents argued that grocers shouldn't be forced to accept an
expansion that brings more empties into their stores, creating
potential health problems caused by unsanitary containers.
Oregonians buy nearly 200 million bottles of water each year, and
state environmental officials estimate as many as 125 million of
them are thrown away, instead of being recycled.
Under the bill, consumers would have to plunk down a 5-cent
deposit on every bottle of water they buy, beginning in January
2009.
Other states with bottle laws are Vermont, Maine, Michigan, Iowa,
Massachusetts, Delaware, New York, California and Hawaii. But only
Maine and Hawaii require a nickel deposit on water bottles,
according to the U.S. Public Interest Research Group.
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 "It's a huge move," Margie Alt, the group's executive director,
said of Oregon's bottle law expansion. "It will keep recycling rates
high and help get rid of a lot of litter that results from bottled
water. We can only hope other states follow Oregon's actions."
At a Salem grocery store, shoppers asked about the prospect of
having to pay a nickel deposit on every water bottle said they
support the move.
"I'm all for it," said Rachel Wheeless, a 29-year-old mother of
two, as she inserted plastic soda pop bottles into a machine that
electronically reads bar codes on containers and refunds the
deposits.
"To me, anything we can do to keep our planet healthy and green
is a bonus," Wheeless said. "Anybody who complains about having to
bring back cans and bottles to the store doesn't care about our
planet."
The Northwest Grocery Association said it is considering an
initiative for Oregon's November 2008 ballot that would create
redemption centers where beverage containers could be taken.
[Text copied
from file received from AP
Digital; article by Brad Cain, Associated Press writer] |
