Recycling Benefits: Proposing A Bottle Bill for Arizona

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Recycling Benefits: Proposing A Bottle Bill for Arizona

Recycling has had a large impact in our community over the past few decades. Rather than throwing all our trash in the garbage can, we, as a community should continue to recycle as much as possible. Not only does it cut down on litter, it can also add to our growing economy, cut down on pollution, and save our raw materials. Arizona currently recycles about sixty percent of its beverage containers, and because only a handful of cities have mandatory recycling programs they are the perfect candidate to experiment with a new recycling program (Bottle-deposit 2). I propose that the state of Arizona put a bottle bill, similar to the one in Oregon, into action. All eleven states that currently have a bottle bill have increased their total recycling percentage significantly. In fact, the "states with bottle bills recycle more than twice as many containers as states without bills" (O’Connell 1). The next few pages give an introduction to bottle bills, the proposed plan of action for Arizona, and the advantages of implementing a bottle bill.

In 1972, the state of Oregon passed the first bottle bill in the nation. During the following two decades, ten states followed their lead (Bottle Bills 3). The primary reason the bill was put into action was to cut down on the state's litter problem; however, the bottle bill proved to be more useful when recycling became a part of everyday lives (Beverage Container 1). Oregon currently recycles over ninety percent of its beverage containers compared to the national average of sixty-three percent. Clearly, the bottle bill has impacted Oregon's success (Stack 30).

The bottle bill is working in Oregon and other states, but what exactly i...

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Extension of Remarks by Congressman Tom Allen On the Introduction of the ‘National Beverage Container Recycling Initiative Act." www.house.gov/allen/s101.htm Nov. 8 1997.

Gnant, Randall. "The Legislative Process in the Arizona State." www.azleg.state.az.us/bill3law.htm

"Mandatory Deposit Laws, or ‘Bottle Bills." www.napcor.com/perspectives_5

O’Connell, Kim A. "Container Deposit Legislation to be introduced in Georgia, Industry Opposition Expected." Recycling Times May 1997: 1-2.

O’Connell, Kim A. "Senator Jeffords Introduces Nationwide O’Connell 1 Legislation." Recycling Times Feb. 1997: 3-4.

"Recycling News." www.vprc.asu.edu/asupc/recycle/news (10 Sept. 1998)

Stack, Gifford E. "Can Recycling: We Can Do Better." Beverage Industry Jan.1998: 30-32.

Strong, Debra L. Recycling in America. Contemporary World Issues. Santa Barbera, California: ABC-CLIO, 1997

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