I was astonished to discover how many people in Michigan care about recycling when I went to Michigan with my friends for spring break. My friends and I filled many bags with plastic bottles, aluminum containers, and glass bottles during spring break and exchanged them for money. Looking into Michigan’s recycling laws, it became apparent that Illinois should have similar laws.
WHAT ARE BEVERAGE CONTAINER DePOSIT LAWS
The beverage container deposit laws, also known as bottle bills, are easy to understand.
Colin Kuehl from NIUs Department Of Political Science, said that the idea is to create an incentive for people to recycle. You pay a deposit when you buy soda and then you get it back when recycling.
You would pay 60 cents if you bought six packs of beer in Michigan. You can return the bottles to the place you bought them, and get 60 cents back.
According to the Current Bottle Bills, 10 states and Guam have bottle bills with different prices per container. National Conference of State Legislatures. States also have their own ways of dealing with deposits that are not returned to consumers. Some states, such as Maine and Connecticut, keep the money while others, such as Oregon and Vermont, give the funds back to distributors or bottlers.
Guam and Michigan are notable for their pledges to support environmental organizations. 75% of Michigan’s unclaimed funds go to state environmental programs and 25% to retailers. Guam’s unclaimed deposit go to the EPA.
DOES IT WORK
But the question is: Do these laws actually work? To put it bluntly, yes.
These bills have done a remarkable job in reducing litter. According to studies, beverage litter reductions range from 70 to 84%, while total litter has been reduced between 34 and 47%. Container Recycling Institute.
The public response has been positive in terms of participation. According to the Michigan Bottle Bill Act, 1976, the amount consumers have received back in deposits has always been higher than 85% in Michigan. Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy. In 2019, 88.7% refunded deposits. 73% of deposits were refunded in 2020, no less than during the COVID-19 pandemic.
You don’t have to go to a recycling centre to drop off bottles and cans. All you need to do is walk into the store. While it may seem difficult to find a recycling center, everyone needs groceries.
Kuehl stated that recycling should be easy and cost-effective, not a burden.
These kinds of laws are great for Illinois because they provide enough locations that it is possible and simple. It would also reduce the amount of resources wasted that would end up in a dump.
According to the report, only 39.6% of glass beer bottles and soft drinks bottles were recycled. 39.8% of glass wine bottles and liquor bottles were also recycled. 50.4% of aluminum beer cans and soft drink cans were recycled. EPA. These numbers are overwhelming more positive for states with bottle bills.
Kuehl stated that the agreement recognizes that individual actions are not enough to make a positive impact on the environment. Economic incentives are needed. These types of bills are helpful to make a big choice. Plastic use has increased dramatically. It grew more during the pandemic.
WHY IS THERE NO BOTTLE BILL IN ILLINOIS
There should be one in Illinois, considering that states like New York and California have bottle bills.
There have been several attempts to push one through at the General Assembly, most recently in 2019.
HB2651Many similarities exist to Michigan’s bottlebill, which would give 75% off unclaimed deposits, at five cents per container. This money would go to environmental and conservation programs. 25% would go to distributors.
The bill was referred to the Rules Committee, however, and the matter was subsequently adjourned Session sine dieIt was adjourned on January 13, 2021 without setting a date to reconvene.
Kuehl believes that the bill, and similar bills in other states not going anywhere, was due to lobbying.
These laws are a threat to plastic and beverage companies as they place pressure on them for recycling. It increases the cost for consumers, but you get it back.
Kuehl is a Californian and Oregonian who moved to Illinois five years back. He was surprised that there wasn’t a bottle bill. He believes that Illinois would benefit from a bill similar in Michigan’s, in order to reduce litter and prevent plastics entering animals and us.
Kuehl stated that plastic is everywhere. Microplastics are in our bodies right now.
According to a study done by the The, the average person consumes five grams of microplastic each week. World Wide Fund. This is the same amount as a credit card.
Recycling is only one aspect of environmentalism. Global warming is the main focus of environmentalists. The bottle bill shows that economic incentives are crucial to improving the environment.