Florida report wants deposits on bottles, business recycling

[Lucasjj]

Dime deposits on reusable bottles and extra fees on tires, light bulbs and landfill dumping should all be on the table to meet Florida lawmakers’ goal of recycling more trash, a state agency report released Monday says.

The report also says cities like Jacksonville may need to require recycling programs at businesses, apartments and condominiums â€" a step businesses and municipalities have resisted before as too costly or complicated.

The Legislature ordered the report from the state Department of Environmental Protection after deciding two years ago it wanted a 75 percent recycling rate by 2020.

The rate now is about 28 percent, according to a state estimate.

http://jacksonville.com/news/florida/2010-01-04/story/florida_report_wants_deposits_on_bottles_business_recycling

[Overstreet]

 I'm all for it. But I've got motives and none of them are environmental  green.

You see I recycle for the food bank. I collect aluminum cans at the office and other places. Crush them and sell them every so often and donate the money to our food bank. It is kind of a hobby. No REAL money in it.  Every week there is this bag of wasted plastic bottles that I have to bag and put in the blue bin. Salvage on the plastic last time I got a quote was about $10 per ton. Not worth much. But  $ .10 per bottle deposit………..whoooo hoooo!

It takes me back to being 12 and collecting glass bottles from the side of the road and turning them in to the A&P for money.

[BridgeTroll]

I think it is a good idea.  Side benefit is cleaner roads, sidewalks, trails etc...

[Dan B]

Agreed. As a kid, I made tons of money doing this. It probably accounts for a lot less litter in the states where there are deposits.

[Lucasjj]

^ In the comments for this story that was one of the arguments for this measure.

I do hope this money from this is put into recycling and not just a general fund. I know that some cities have gotten rid of their recycling programs during the downturn since sending the material to landfills was cheaper. If this money can be used to sustain and enhance the recycling programs I am all for it.

[St. Auggie]

Yeah, now businesses can raise their fees and we can all pay for this. Just like our unemployment tax went up.  Lets see what else we can do to increase the cost of doing business so that we can raise the fee to the consumer.  Bravo.

[BridgeTroll]

since sending the material to landfills was cheaper.

It probably is... short term.  But landfills... fill up.  It is an expensive, slow and painful process to find a new one.  Recyclables should stay out of landfills.  One way or another.

[BridgeTroll]

now businesses can raise their fees

What fees?  A six pack of beer would cost $.30 more.  Bring back the cans and get your $.30 back.

[Dan B]

There is a tangible benefit to doing this also. You will have a cleaner society, a higher recycle rate, and while I may not care to take the time to take my cans in, there are those who will, and will benefit from it.

Consider it a soda/beer impact fee that you can recover. I have always thought it was dumb we dont have that in florida.

I do think a dime is a bit much, but I guess it has been 20 years since I was collecting cans to spend at the arcade, or to buy tapes with :-D

[Lucasjj]

As BT said, Landfills are not cheap and fill up. Recycling measures are needed to control future costs. Space for landfills and their operating costs will increase, which will be pushed down to businesses and then consumers. The same will happen for materials over time as resources become more limited.

That is the main reason I recycle now. I look at a can for instance and think that if I was to have to go through the effort to produce that myself, I sure wouldn't just throw it away after I use it's contents. Recycling items that can be put back in the system seems like common sense to me, rather than some save the world attitude.

[Overstreet]

I think it is a good idea.  Side benefit is cleaner roads, sidewalks, trails etc...

Naw..........trashy people will continue to throw the stuff along side the road.

[BridgeTroll]

Probably so... but someone will pick them up and cash em in.

[St. Auggie]

now businesses can raise their fees

What fees?  A six pack of beer would cost $.30 more.  Bring back the cans and get your $.30 back.

The part where they said business would have to start recycling.  Getting trash collected within most business is a chore.  Now they would have to separate trash and recyclables.  That will take time for employees to do.  Employees cost money.  When things cost more money businesses raise their fees.  You will pay more for things then. That is why this will cost you more.  

[Dog Walker]

I would like to see a 1% tax on all "pre-prepared take out" food i.e. that which is consumed off premises and the entire amount devoted to sidewalk and road clean up too.  Besides discarded beer cans, much of our roadside litter is fast food bags and wrappers.

When the bottle deposit idea was floated a decade or so ago, the supermarket chains raised cain about how expensive and difficult it would be for them to take back and process the returns.  Got the whole idea canned.  Maybe the time is better now to reconsider.

And while we are at it require all cigarette filters to be made of something biodegradable.  Read somewhere that the darn things will take 100 years in the sunlight to break down.  UGH!

[BridgeTroll]

now businesses can raise their fees

What fees?  A six pack of beer would cost $.30 more.  Bring back the cans and get your $.30 back.

The part where they said business would have to start recycling.  Getting trash collected within most business is a chore.  Now they would have to separate trash and recyclables.  That will take time for employees to do.  Employees cost money.  When things cost more money businesses raise their fees.  You will pay more for things then. That is why this will cost you more. 

Ah... I see.  I suppose there might be a fee to pick up these items.  I also see there is probably a cost for storage bins etc.  Not sure about needing extra employees though.  Rather than one garbage can you may now need three.  One for garbage, one for cans and one for bottles.  Employee would simply seperate as they go rather than dumping everything into one bin.