Markey Introduces Bottle Deposit Recycling Climate Protection Act

Nov 15: Representative. Edward Markey (D-MA), Chairman of the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, introduced the Bottle Recycling Climate Protection Act (H.R. 4238), which would decrease global warming pollution and cut down on energy use by encouraging large-scale recycling of cans, bottles and other beverage containers throughout America. The introduction of the bill coincided with America Recycles Day. The bill has 11 cosponsors. A December 2006 GAO report cited a nationwide deposit law as an effective policy option to increase municipal recycling [See WIMS 1/29/07].

The bill would establish a national 5 cent deposit on beverage containers, including plastic water bottles and other containers that have become more prevalent in recent years after many state programs were established. According to Markey, the bottles and other containers pour into landfills and use energy to produce, thereby creating global warming pollution and other environmental issues. In 2006, more than half of the 200 billion beverage containers that could have been recycled in the United States were incinerated or littered.

Markey said, “Congress can send the nation a global warming message in a bottle. We can still quench our thirst while reducing our thirst for energy. And we can have carbon dioxide in our fizzy drinks, while cutting down on heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.” Currently, 11 states have deposit programs that encourage consumers to return containers to claim the refund on the deposit. In the states that have passed bottle bills, recycling rates are twice that of states without deposit laws. The new National Bottle Bill recognizes the leadership of the states on this issue, and exempts states that have high recycling rates or existing state legislation from the national standard for 3 years, or as long as they maintain high recycling rates.

Plastic water and juice bottles have become increasingly prevalent since many state bottle bills were initially adopted. Including plastic bottles in a national bottle bill would lead to significant savings in energy and oil consumption. One ton of recycled plastic saves 5,774 kWh (kilowatt hours) of electricity and 685 gallons of oil. Aluminum cans also account for an increasing amount of waste. 58 billion cans are thrown away every year in the United States, enough to fill the Empire State Building six times. If all these cans were recycled, it would cut the emissions of heat-trapping carbon pollution by nearly 6 million tons, or the equivalent of the pollution from more than one million cars. Cans made from recycled aluminum use 95 percent less energy than cans manufactured with new materials.

Markey said, “Recycling is an everyday action that we can all take to cut global warming emissions and be good environmental stewards. Our national goal should be to one day recycle every single bottle we use, and this bill will get us closer to that goal and that day.” The National Bottle Bill has already gained support from leading environmental and recycling organizations, including the Container Recycling Institute (CRI), the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Public Interest Research Group.

The CRI's has issued a report and presentation on the problems with increasing numbers of plastic bottle from bottled water. The report, Water, Water Everywhere:The Growth of Non-Carbonated Beverages in the U.S., chronicles the dramatic increase in sales of bottled water and other non-carbonated beverages in recent years and looks at the projected growth of the non-carbonated market. A separate presentation addresses the rapid growth of bottled water and other non-carbonated beverages and how state legislatures are considering updating deposit laws to include these beverages that did not exist 25 years ago.

Access a release from Representative Markey (click here). Access legislative details for H.R. 4238 (click here). Access the CRI website for links to their reports and information (click here). [*Solid, *P2]

Canadians Recycling More; But, Less Than U.S.

Jul 13: Access to recycling programs, and their use, have improved substantially in Canada since the mid-1990s, and Canadian households are recycling more waste than ever before, according to a report in the new online inaugural edition of EnviroStats, Statistics Canada's new quarterly bulletin on environmental and sustainable development statistics. According to the report, the vast majority of Canadian households that had access to recycling programs made use of them in 2006, regardless of household income, the occupants' education levels, or the type of dwelling. Among households that had access to recycling programs, about 97% of those in single-detached homes recycled waste, as did 95% of those in low-rise apartments.

In 2004, households produced 13.4 million tonnes of waste, according to the Waste Management Industry Survey. Of this amount, nearly 3.6 million tonnes went to recycling, a 65% increase from 2000. During this four-year period, the proportion of household waste that was diverted to recycling increased from 19% to 27%. In 2004, the average Canadian recycled 112 kilograms of material, compared with 71 kilograms in 2000. Recycling rates in 2004 ranged from a high of 157 kilograms per capita in Nova Scotia to a low of 54 kilograms in Saskatchewan. By comparison, an October 23, 2006, report from U.S. EPA, indicated Americans are recycling more and throwing away less and recycled 32 percent of its waste in 2005 -- a 2 percent increase from 2004 and a huge jump from 16 percent in 1990.

Access the Canadian summary analysis and link to the EnviroStats article (click here). Access complete details on the U.S. EPA report on an eNewsUSA Blog post (click here). [*Solid, *P2]

Ecosystem Challenges And Business Implications

Nov 21: A new publication -- Ecosystem Challenges and Business Implications -- produced by Earthwatch Institute (Europe), the World Conservation Union (IUCN), the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), and the World Resources Institute (WRI), is based on global scientific facts and projections from the UN's multi-year Millennium Ecosystem Assessment and interviews with a range of business leaders to assess the implications and strategies needed to respond to environmental challenges. The publication warns that companies must transform business models and operations if they are to avoid major economic losses caused by the current degradation of ecosystems and the vital services they provide.

The research indicates that many companies recognize the risks associated with degrading ecosystems and are trying to adapt accordingly, but most fail to associate healthy ecosystems with their business interests. According to a release from WBCSD a collective business response is therefore needed to address the scale of environmental change currently taking place. WBCSD President Björn Stigson says, “Business simply cannot function if ecosystems and the services they deliver -- like water, biodiversity, food, fiber and climate regulation -- are degraded or out of balance. There must be a value attached to natural resources, and businesses need to start understanding this value.”

The publication offers a detailed examination of the implications that water scarcity, climate change, nutrient overloading, biodiversity loss, habitat change and the overexploitation of oceans will have for the future of business. These include scarcity of raw materials, higher operating costs, government restrictions and reduced flexibility. It further cautions companies to prepare for these risks by measuring their impact and dependence on ecosystem services, taking advantage of emerging business opportunities and reducing their operational footprints.

The publication partners urge companies to pursue solutions that will help to conserve ecosystems, such as new energy efficient technologies and products, new businesses to undertake habitat restoration, and new markets, such as nutrient trading. The publication is the first of three to be produced by the four partners. The second will focus upon how new business models, markets and entrepreneurs can profit from responding to ecosystem challenges and the third will help business executives identify their dependences on ecosystem services and ways to retain them for the long term.

Access the WBCSD release (click here). Access the 20-page document (click here). Access information from Earthwatch Institute (click here). Access information from IUCN (click here). Access information from WRI (click here). [*Sustainability]

U.S. Recycling Rate Climbs To 32%; Generation Down

Oct 23: According to a new report from U.S. EPA, Americans are recycling more and throwing away less. Administrator Stephen Johnson, speaking at the National Recycling Coalition Conference in Atlanta, said that the U.S. recycled 32 percent of its waste in 2005. Including composting, Americans recycled 79 million tons, representing a 2 percent increase from 2004 and a huge jump from 16 percent in 1990. In all, Americans generated nearly 246 million tons of municipal solid waste in 2005 – a decrease of nearly 2 million tons from 2004. The decrease is due in part to the decline in individual waste generation to about 4.5 pounds per person per day, representing a 1.5 percent decrease from 2004. In addition to generating less waste, individuals recycled nearly 1.5 pounds per person per day.

Other data contained in the report show recycling trends across the board are generally up: container and packaging recycling increased to 40 percent; nearly 62 percent of yard waste was composted; and about 42 million tons of paper were recycled -- a 50 percent recycling rate. EPA has collected and reported on data going back to 1960 on the generation and disposal of waste in the United States. The information is used to measure the success of municipal solid waste reduction and recycling programs across the country. The data also shows where the nation needs to make improvements in municipal waste management. EPA is releasing the executive summary now, until the full report and data tables are available. EPA plans to update the full report every two years.

Access a release (click here). Access an Executive Summary of the report and links to previous reports (click here). Access a basic overview of 2005 Municipal Solid Waste Fact and Figures (click here). [*Solid, *P2]