Have you ever noticed the little print on the side of your can of Pepsi that says things like OR deposit 5 cents? Ever wonder what that is all about? It is called a recycling deposit. It has been around for decades in many states, and I do not know why on earth it isn’t a law in every state. Here is how it works: Every time you buy a carbonated beverage (or sometimes juices or other non-carbonated drinks) in a container you pay a small deposit. No big deal. In most areas it is a nickel per container. It is called a deposit, because when you return the container, you get it back. This whole idea goes way back. When we used to use glass bottles for everything from milk to soda, it was a simple way to make sure that the empties got back to the bottler where they could be sterilized and reused. Lucky for us, we discovered space age polymers and aluminum cans. Gone are the days of expensive steel and glass. Now we can litter our landscape with cheap aluminum beer cans and fill our landfills with plastic pop bottles. Yippee!
What does the deposit law do for the environment? Lots. People have a tendency to recycle if there is a monetary impetus. States that have a deposit law recycle more cans and bottles. It is a gimme. Hate to recycle? No worries, set your cans on the curb and people will gladly pick them up. Homeless persons in Oregon survive simply by picking up others trash. That means less garbage on the street and the side of the road. I can remember growing up in a small town in Kansas and the thrill of going to the park to look for bottles. If we found enough, we could take them in to the grocers and get enough money for a pack of gum, a handful of tootsie rolls or perhaps the Holy Grail: a balsa wood airplane powered by a rubber band! I would gladly scour the baseball diamond for Dr Pepper empties left behind or dig in the bushes for a beer can tossed away just at the prospect!
Deposit laws (sometimes called bottle bills) are common in many states. So what is the deal with Ohio? Why don’t we have them here? Retailer hate them. They say that they cannot keep up with the issues surrounding collecting the empties. With the automatic machines that are available now, this is simply not true. Besides in most states with a bottle bill, retailer have an agreement with the bottlers that they split the cost of collection. Enter the second reason. Bottlers hate them. Why wouldn’t they? Anything that impedes the free flow of their products in a disposable cheap manner is a danger to their bottom line. Who cares about the damn planet anyway? Lastly many consumers stand opposed to bottle bills. There is always an issue when you have to pay for something. We hate sales tax. We hate income tax. We hate property tax. These are all necessary evils in today’s economy and I say so is a bottle deposit. Besides, you get the money back, and if you can’t be bothered to recycle then I say you should be forced to pay the nickle a can. Suddenly when you have to pay by the bottle, you start buying in bigger packages. When you can get the nickel back, you start to think before tossing out that beer can or pop bottle. It isn’t like it is something new, the programs are all in place in other states, so it is just a matter of bringing them across the border.
