1ac -- Bottle Bill

1AC – The Bottle Bill

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BOTTLE BILL 1AC- TRA$H IT OR CA$H IT, BABY Brett Godush wrote in the Vermont Law Review in 2001, “Living in Michigan, near the Indiana border, a person experiences the benefits of living in a state with a bottle bill and some of the problems associated with a state lacking such a bill (Indiana). Along the roads in Indiana, a greater amount of litter exists than in Michigan. More startling, however, are the completely different perceptions between the citizens of Michigan and Indiana regarding beverage containers. In Indiana, beverage containers are just that-containers. Once emptied, these containers are thrown away, either in the garbage or anywhere else that is convenient at the time. However, in Michigan empty containers represent money. Though the deposit in place in Michigan (ten cents per container) may seem relatively insignificant, it may not be to many residents of the state. In reality, the ten- cent deposit represents enough financial gain to make container redemption worth the effort. By creating this monetary incentive, the Michigan bottle bill helps ensure that the benefit of returning beverage containers will outweigh the costs. Because we agree with the Vermont Law Review that a federal bottle bill would benefit the nation, my partner and I are RESOLVED: That the United States Federal Government should significantly reform its environmental policy. We'll begin with some facts about the status quo, under OBSERVATION ONE: INHERENCY. 1.) What are bottle bills? Container Recycling Institute [The Container Recycling Institute is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing beverage container waste through producer and consumer responsibility. We focus on policy research and education], “What is a bottle bill?” published at the Bottle Bill Resource Guide, 2007 (accessed August 2009) http://www.bottlebill.org/about/whatis.htm The term “bottle bill” is actually another way of saying “container deposit law.” A container deposit law requires a minimum refundable deposit on beer, soft drink and other beverage containers in order to ensure a high rate of recycling or reuse. How a bottle bill works Deposits on beverage containers are not a new idea. The deposit-refund system was created by the beverage industry as a means of guaranteeing the return of their glass bottles to be washed, refilled and resold. When a retailer buys beverages from a distributor, a deposit is paid to the distributor for each can or bottle purchased. The consumer pays the deposit to the retailer when buying the beverage. When the consumer returns the empty beverage container to the retail store, to a redemption center, or to a reverse vending machine, the deposit is refunded. The retailer recoups the deposit from the distributor, plus an additional handling fee in most U.S. states. The handling fee, which generally ranges from 1-3 cents, helps cover the cost of handling the containers. 2.) Federal bottle bills continue to be defeated despite their merit Brett Godush [J.D.- Vermont Law School, 2001, cum laude; B.S. in Environmental Studies- Central “Some people drink Pepsi/Some people drink Coke/The wacky mourning DJ says/ democracy's a joke!” – CAKE

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Michigan University, 1997; B.S. in Business Administration- Central Michigan University, 1997, magna cum laude, wrote on environmental issues for the Vermont Law Review], “NOTE: THE HIDDEN VALUE OF A DIME: HOW A FEDERAL BOTTLE BILL CAN BENEFIT THE COUNTRY”, published in the Vermont Law Review, Summer, 2001 [25 Vt. L. Rev. 855] [accessed via LexisNexis] “Although the ten states possessing bottle bills have experienced the positive attributes of such programs, numerous similar federal bills continue [*856] to be defeated. Yet, on the twenty-ninth anniversary of Earth Day, the need for a national beverage container deposit bill was presented once again to the United States Senate. n5 Citing, in part, the success of Vermont's bottle redemption system, Senator James Jeffords (R-VT) introduced the National Beverage Container Reuse & Recycling Act on April 22, 1999 (S. 859).” The idea of federalism was that states could be testing grounds, or pilot projects, for certain proposals. Several states have tested, California’s bottle bill is quite successful and so we shall now implement it federally. This brings us to the PLAN TEXT: “Congress shall pass and the President shall sign a Federal Bottle Bill, to be modeled after the California bottle bill. Funding and enforcement are through normal means. We'll clarify as needed.” This brings us to the reasons to affirm the resolution and the plan, which are found in the JUSTIFICATIONS. Justification 1 is Increased recycling A.) Bottle bill states recycle more The Chicago Recycling Coalition [A statewide environmental advocacy organization, A Bottle Bill for Illinois, 2008, http://www.chicagorecycling.org/index.php? option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=26&Itemid=63 “Because people are motivated by cash returns to recycle their bottles and cans, they participate in bottle bill programs at much higher rates than with drop-off or even curb-side recycling. The national rate for beverage container recycling is around 30 percent and falling. But in bottle bill states, the rate averages between 70 and 80 percent.” A federal bottle bill would increase recycling Brett Godush [J.D.- Vermont Law School, 2001, cum laude; B.S. in Environmental Studies- Central Michigan University, 1997; B.S. in Business Administration- Central Michigan University, 1997, magna cum laude, wrote on environmental issues for the Vermont Law Review], “NOTE: THE HIDDEN VALUE OF A DIME: HOW A FEDERAL BOTTLE BILL CAN BENEFIT THE COUNTRY”, published in the Vermont Law Review, Summer, 2001 [25 Vt. L. Rev. 855] [accessed via LexisNexis] “In the present case, the requirement of a federal solution is clear for several reasons. First, a federal program would introduce the rest of the country to the success experienced by the ten states currently with bottle bills. Potentially, the entire country could experience a recovery rate of nearly “Some people drink Pepsi/Some people drink Coke/The wacky mourning DJ says/ democracy's a joke!” – CAKE

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twice that of well-run voluntary recycling programs, at 85 to 90%. n109 Furthermore, [*867] a federal bill could enhance the current system by implementing one standardized approach, instead of the piecemeal effort of state-by-state bills.” And, the bottle bill would encourage recycling of other materials as well Brett Godush [J.D.- Vermont Law School, 2001, cum laude; B.S. in Environmental Studies- Central Michigan University, 1997; B.S. in Business Administration- Central Michigan University, 1997, magna cum laude, wrote on environmental issues for the Vermont Law Review], “NOTE: THE HIDDEN VALUE OF A DIME: HOW A FEDERAL BOTTLE BILL CAN BENEFIT THE COUNTRY”, published in the Vermont Law Review, Summer, 2001 [25 Vt. L. Rev. 855] [accessed via LexisNexis] “Once consumers get in the habit of returning beverage containers, they will be more likely to recycle other materials, hopefully without the need for additional incentive. This is a very important externality, since the United States is far from achieving optimal recycling rates, n198 especially based on results of other industrialized countries. N199” B.) Recycling benefits the environment Recycling lowers air and water pollution Brett Godush [J.D.- Vermont Law School, 2001, cum laude; B.S. in Environmental Studies- Central Michigan University, 1997; B.S. in Business Administration- Central Michigan University, 1997, magna cum laude, wrote on environmental issues for the Vermont Law Review], “NOTE: THE HIDDEN VALUE OF A DIME: HOW A FEDERAL BOTTLE BILL CAN BENEFIT THE COUNTRY”, published in the Vermont Law Review, Summer, 2001 [25 Vt. L. Rev. 855] [accessed via LexisNexis] “ By significantly increasing the percent of materials reclaimed, bottle bills help reduce many types of air and water pollution, including greenhouse emissions. n52 The reduction in greenhouse gases could amount to 1.74 metric tons of carbon nationwide. n53” And, recycling 58 billion aluminum cans would be like taking 1 million cars off the road. David Abel [Staff writer for the Boston Globe], “Coming up dry on bottles: Law change would let consumers redeem water, juice bottles”, published in The Boston Globe, March 24, 2008 [Boston Globe, March 24, 2008 Monday THIRD EDITION; METRO; Pg. A1] [accessed via LexisNexis] “Eben Burnham-Snyder, a spokesman for the US House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, said opponents of bottle laws are more concerned about their bottom line. He added that a federal law would remove any arguments about illegally transporting bottles across state lines. Recycled, the 58 billion aluminum cans the nation discards each year would cut carbon emissions by the equivalent of taking 1 million cars off the road, he added. “ Justification 2 is Economic Benefit. A.) Jobs created A nationwide bottle bill would create 100,000 jobs Rodale Research Institute [a nonprofit research organization that studies solutions to improve the global environment, especially involving agriculture and sustainable development] “The bottle bill and farmers,”, Published online by the Rodale Research Institute, 2003, “Some people drink Pepsi/Some people drink Coke/The wacky mourning DJ says/ democracy's a joke!” – CAKE

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http://newfarm.rodaleinstitute.org/depts/gleanings/1102/bottle_bill/index.shtml “A national bottle bill would create jobs, reduce litter, save energy and protect the environment. Iowa reports that as a result of its bottle bill, 1,200 jobs have been created. If every state had a deposit-return system, a total of about 100,000 jobs could be created.” B.) Costs slashed Recycling reduces energy usage and disposal costs Anthony R. Depaolo [Managing Editor, 1994-1995, BOSTON COLLEGE ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS LAW REVIEW], “COMMENT: PLASTICS RECYCLING LEGISLATION: NOT JUST THE SAME OLD GARBAGE”, Published in the Boston College Environmental Affairs Law Review, Spring, 1995 [22 B.C. Envtl. Aff. L. Rev. 873] [LexisNexis] [Ethos] Despite the technological and economic problems associated with the recycling process, plastics recycling offers many benefits. For instance, the amount of energy needed to process recycled plastics is much lower than that needed to process virgin materials. n43 In addition, because plastic makes up a significant part of the waste stream in the United States, n44 recycling plastics helps society to avoid growing incineration and landfill costs. For example, MassPIRG, a Massachusetts public interest research group, determined that once all pertinent factors n45 were added together, recycling waste lessened incineration [*880] costs at the rate of $ 202 per ton n46 and lessened landfill costs at a rate of $ 63 per ton. In New York, bottle bills saved 2 million barrels of oil and 19 million taxpayer dollars in one year Container Recycling Institute [501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing beverage container waste through producer and consumer responsibility. We focus on policy research and education.] “What is a bottle bill?” published at the Bottle Bill Resource Guide, 2007 (accessed August 2009) [brackets added] http://www.bottlebill.org/about/whatis.htm “A detailed report by Franklin Associates, Ltd. estimated that the volume of discarded beverage containers was reduced by 72 percent annually, from 47.5 million cubic feet to 13.1 million cubic feet. The study estimated that the 34.1 million cubic feet saved by the deposit law was approximately equal to all of the municipal waste generated by a city the size of Rochester over a period of nearly three years. The study also found that recycling rates increased dramatically after the bill's passage, with aluminum cans increasing from 18 percent to 82 percent; glass one-way bottles from 5 percent to 79 percent; and PET bottles from 1 percent to 57 percent. Finally, the study estimated the deposit law saves the state 11.5 trillion BTU's (British thermal units) or the equivalent of 2 million barrels of oil annually. The New York Department of Environmental Conservation (NYDEC) estimates the overall redemption rates for deposit containers to be 77.6 percent for 1995. Redemption rates for various container types are as follows: aluminum 85% glass 75% PET soda 66% Both waste, and waste management costs were expected to be substantially reduced according to preliminary findings by the NYSBWA study. The study estimated an annual reduction of solid waste tonnage of 650,000 tons, at a savings to taxpayers of $19 million a year. The bottle bill continues to serve as a valuable waste management tool, according to the NYDEC, which reports that redeemed deposit containers account for 5 percent of the total 6.35 million tons of waste diverted in FY 95-96.” C.) Homeless gain “Some people drink Pepsi/Some people drink Coke/The wacky mourning DJ says/ democracy's a joke!” – CAKE

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The bottle bill would give the homeless a source of income David Abel [Staff writer for the Boston Globe], “Coming up dry on bottles: Law change would let consumers redeem water, juice bottles”, published in The Boston Globe, March 24, 2008 [Boston Globe, March 24, 2008 Monday THIRD EDITION; METRO; Pg. A1] [accessed via LexisNexis] [brackets added] “Standing over a grocery cart full of empty Budweiser bottles and Coke cans, James Williams walked to a trash barrel outside a South End redemption center, pulled out a few empty plastic water bottles, and shrugged. "My question is: Why in the world can't you redeem these, when you could if it had bubbles inside?" asked Williams, 63, a Dorchester resident who has spent years rifling through dumpsters, tossing aside countless plastic water and juice bottles. "It makes no sense. We're passing up thousands of dollars. It would help the homeless and empty lots of trash from landfills."” Justification 3 is Responsibility Bottle bills transfer the responsibility where it belongs- the producer and consumer Container Recycling Institute [The Container Recycling Institute is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing beverage container waste through producer and consumer responsibility. We focus on policy research and education], “Bottle Bills Provide Financial Incentives for Recycling” published by the Bottle Bill Resource Guide, 2007 (accessed August 2009), http://bottlebill.org/about/benefits/financial.htm “Furthermore, deposits place the cost of managing post-consumer beverage containers where it really belongs--on those who manufacture, sell and buy them. Whether they are landfilled, littered or recycled, there is a cost to managing 'used' beverage containers. Containers that are landfilled, littered, or recycled through municipal recycling programs represent a cost to government and taxpayers. The deposit system shifts those costs to producers and consumers of the containers. This is known as extended producer responsibility (EPR). “ Judge, what we've seen is a tried and true piece of legislation that could provide benefit to our environment and to our economy, while increasing responsibility. So for all these reasons, we urge you to affirm the resolution, support the bill, and CRACK A BOTTLE. Thank you. Skeletor, demanding moar bottle bill.

“Some people drink Pepsi/Some people drink Coke/The wacky mourning DJ says/ democracy's a joke!” – CAKE