[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 65 (Friday, April 7, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E820-E821]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


      NATIONAL BEVERAGE CONTAINER REUSE AND RECYCLING ACT OF 1995

                                 ______


                         HON. EDWARD J. MARKEY

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 6, 1995
  Mr. MARKEY. Mr. Speaker, today I am introducing the National Beverage 
Container Reuse and Recycling Act of 1995. This important piece of 
legislation is especially relevant today as we approach the 25th 
anniversary of Earth Day. I have introduced this legislation in the 
past with my colleague, the late Paul Henry (R-MI), who was a true and 
dedicated champion for this important initiative, and hope that my 
colleagues will this year embrace this bill that combats the problems 
we have of shrinking landfill space, skyrocketing waste disposal costs, 
misspent energy and natural resources, and litter strewn roadsides by 
setting in place a national beverage container recycling program. If 
passed, this bill would save millions of dollars in energy costs, 
divert a significant portion of the solid waste stream, foster the 
growth of a recycling infrastructure, and help reverse the throwaway 
ethic our Nation has embraced.
  Most importantly, this will be done at no cost to the taxpayer. This 
bill, which requires a deposit paid on beverage containers, will act as 
a positive economic incentive to individuals to clean up the 
environment and will result in a high level of reuse and recycling of 
such containers, and help reduce the costs associated with solid waste 
management. Such a system will result in significant pollution 
prevention, energy conservation and recycling.
  We can conquer the problem of one-way, throwaway beverage containers 
as 10 States have already done. Under these deposit programs, which are 
in effect in California, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Maine, 
Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Oregon, and Vermont, consumers pay a 
deposit on each container purchased, and this is refunded when the 
container is returned. Consumers in these States have proven the 
effectiveness of such legislation by reaching recycling rates as high 
as 95 percent.
  This bill will encourage the development and maintenance of a 
recycling infrastructure. The plastics industry, which already has a 
recycling infrastructure, would particularly benefit from this bill 
since it has been plagued by supply shortages.
  Consumers have demonstrated the popularity of deposit laws. A General 
Accounting Office [GAO] study found that 70 percent of Americans 
support national deposit legislation. Perhaps more importantly, in 
States that have deposit laws, this level is even greater.
  This bill allows States to recycle in any manner they wish, as long 
as they achieve a 70-percent recycling goal for beverage containers. 
Only States that fail to meet this challenge would be required to 
implement the deposit program outlined in this bill.
  To further encourage recycling efforts, the unclaimed deposits 
collected under this bill, which could total as much as $1 to $1.7 
billion annually, would be used to support other recycling programs. 
For example, deposit laws can help subsidize the costs of curbside 
recycling. Together, deposit laws and curbside recycling 
[[Page E821]] can result in greater recycling and reuse than either 
program could alone.
  In celebration of Earth Day, just 2 weeks away, I introduce this 
legislation that will help us to reach our environmental goals by 
conserving our natural resources and reducing litter and pollution. I 
urge my colleagues to support comprehensive recycling by cosponsoring 
the National Beverage Container Reuse and Recycling Act of 1995.


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