3854 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS February 20, 1991 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS NATIONAL RECYCLING RESOURCE States and several national parks that require comprehensive recycling, contending that a ACT INTRODUCED them by law. deposit law will hamper curbside recycling pro­ But, a new General Accounting Office grams by removing the most valuable scrap [GAO] report says that, faced with a growing materials in the waste stream. They argue that HON. PAUL B. HENRY solid waste dilemma, litter problems, and tight curbside recycling programs need the revenue OF MICHIGAN budget constraints, a national deposit system from the sale of bottles and cans to pay for IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES could "play a significant role in helping the Na­ operating costs. Even though curbside recy­ Wednesday, February 20, 1991 tion meet EPA's 25 percent solid waste reduc­ cling programs rely almost entirely on govern­ tion goal." Further, the report underlines the ment subsidies to offset both operating and Mr. HENRY. Mr. Speaker, today I am intro­ fact that more than 70 percent of Americans capital costs, this argument has provided polit­ ducing the National Recycling Resource Act of say it is time for the entire Nation to return to ical cover for a number of Members who might 1991. a commonsense, reuse-and-recycle deposit otherwise support a national deposit law. But With the forthcoming reauthorization of the system. Ironically, the same industries that in­ the GAO analysis destroys this argument. Resource Conservation and Recovery Act vented the returnable refund system continue The GAO report makes it clear that all nine [RCRA], we will soon be examining proposals to exert their special interest political power to deposit-law States have successful curbside that seek to ease our Nation's growing solid block deposit legislation. Led by Coca-Cola, and other comprehensive recycling programs. waste dilemma. At the same time, we face ex­ Pepsi, Anheuser Busch, and the Food Market­ And, based on this experience, officials from treme budget constraints that could limit our ing Institute, they have spent hundreds of mil­ these States strongly believe that deposit leg­ ability to provide assistance to State and local lions of dollars in the past two decades oppos­ islation is compatible with curbside recycling. governments in this regard. But we can elimi­ ing local, State, and national deposit initia­ Deposit laws remove far more bottles and nate these constraints, Mr. Speaker. The Na­ tives. But, it is time for Congress to do more cans from the waste stream than do curbside tional Recycling Resource Act could generate than set lofty State waste reduction goals. It is programs, and at no cost to municipalities. up to $2.5 billion annually for State recycling time to provide a means for achieving them. The GAO report refers to an EPA study and and pollution prevention programs-with no The average American in a State without a to an independent academic study, both of tax increase or user fee. refund system discards nearly 500 bottles and which concluded that the two programs com­ The National Recycling Resource Act is cer­ cans every year. They end up in our landfills, plement each other and should be seen as tainly not the only solution to our Nation's along our roadsides, on our beaches and in compatible tools for managing solid waste. waste management problems. But, it will our parks and streams. It's certainly no sur­ Why else would virtually every local and State greatly enhance our ability to address every prise that the GAO analysis notes that "a dis­ government association and every national en­ aspect of solid waste management. By requir­ proportionately large percentage of the Na­ vironmental organization support deposit legis­ ing a 10-cent refundable deposit on the 120 tion's recycling is taking place in deposit-law lation?. billion beverage containers-15 percent of all States." The report points out that, while they Nonetheless, Mr. Speaker, if a State feels it packaging by weight-that are sold nationally account for only 18 percent of the Nation's will be less costly and more effective to re­ each year, this legislation would reduce the population, deposit-law States recycle nearly move beverage containers from the waste solid waste stream by roughly 10 percent­ two-thirds of all the glass recycled nationwide, stream, without a deposit system, my bill does volume-and the litter stream by 60 percent­ and about 98 percent of all plastic .. provide an exception. If a State can remove volume. Furthermore, approximately 80 to 95 While special interests will try to divert at­ even three fourths of the number of beverage percent of deposit containers would be re­ tention from these facts, our colleagues need containers that would be removed through a turned for a refund. If we assume that 90 per­ to be reminded that the new GAO study con­ deposit system, their initiative shall be consid­ cent of the 120 billion containers sold nation­ cludes that "the vast majority of Americans- ered consistent with this act. ally would be returned, for example, 12 billion 70 percent-would support a national bev­ I am confident, however, that we will have containers would not be returned for a refund. erage container deposit law." Less than 10 a nationwide deposit system under this bill, At 10 cents per container, $1.2 billion in un­ percent of those polled strongly objected to Mr. Speaker. Opponents of my proposal have claimed refunds would be generated each the idea. In fact, the report notes that in the frightened some community leaders into think­ year. Under my proposal, States would have nine deposit-law States, nearly 83 percent of ing a deposit system would increase the cost complete authority to collect and utilize these the public approved of their State's law, while of recycling. To the contrary, my bill sends a moneys for pollution prevention programs. If less than 6 percent disapproved. If only we strong message that the cost of not imple­ they choose not to, the unclaimed refunds had such consensus on other major issues menting a deposit system is too high of a would be directed to the Federal Treasury. facing our Nation. price for any community to bear. It should also Some argue that this would effectively be a Certainly, deposit legislation would create reveal the self-serving nature of the beverage, tax on consumers. If so, Mr. Speaker, it will be some business costs. The magnitude of these packaging, and retailing industries procurbside the most popular tax of all time, since deposits costs is highly disputed and often difficult to recycling rhetoric. They are not interested in are 100 percent refundable. quantify. But the GAO study does reveal three providing the most cost effective recycling sys­ We all remember the days when soda and important points: increases in consumer costs tems for the Nation. They are interested in beer were sold in returnable containers. You resulting from deposit laws have been quite having the Nation's taxpayers, alone, foot the paid an extra 2-cent deposit at the corner gro­ small and are generally short-lived; there is no bill for the disposal and recycling of their prod­ cery store, knowing all you had to do was re­ measurable correlation between the enact­ uct. I say that industry has a responsibility to turn the empty for a refund. The bottle you ment of deposit laws and reductions in bev­ internalize, to the greatest extent possible, the took back would then be used over and over erage consumption rates; and deposit laws life cycle cost of their product. And a deposit again. Store owners and bottlers invented this have been an insignificant factor in the decline system provides a mechanism for industry to deposit system to ensure the return of their of glass container manufacturing jobs over the do so. valuable packaging materials. Why? Because, past two decades. Mr. Speaker, deposit initiatives have been they knew it was the most effective way of Realizing they can no longer argue that de­ introduced in this House for the past two dec­ getting their packaging out of the waste posit laws raise consumer prices and jeopard­ ades. But, the U.S. House of Representatives stream. Today, Mr. Speaker, the demand for ize beverage industry jobs, the bottle bill's has never voted, as a whole, on this issue. throwaway packaging by the retail industry Capitol Hill opponents are singing a new tune Given the new funding mechanism put forth in has eliminated deposit systems except in nine these days. They are now strong supporters of the National Recycling Resource Act, and • This "bullet" symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. February 20, 1991 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS 3855 given the desperate situations many commu­ "(3) The term 'beverage distributor' means which it was designed to be opened and the nities are facing because of escalating solid a person who sells or offers for sale in com­ compression of a beverage container made of waste management costs, I hope we have the merce to beverage retailers beverages in bev­ metal shall not, for purpose of this section, erage containers for resale. constitute the breaking of the container if courage to bring this bill forward. The National "(4) The term 'beverage retailer' means a the statement of the amount of the refund Recycling Resource Act follows: person who purchases from a beverage dis­ value of the container is still readable.