Bits and Pieces
(Page 3 of 3)
July/August 1973
By the Mother Earth News editors
OREGON'S GOVERNOR TOM McCALL made history on July 2, 1971 when he signed into law a tough "bottle bill" designed to completely ban from the Beaver State much of the rubbish that increasingly clutters the nation's countryside. The piece of legislation—which went into effect in October of 1972—outlaws the sale of all snap-top cans and throw-away bottles in Oregon and requires that a five-cent deposit be refunded by storekeepers for the return of all carbonated beverage containers (except 12-ounce beer bottles, which have a refund value of 2¢).
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The manufacturers of the non-returnable containers, predictably enough, fought the state bill from every logical and illogical position they could think of. Perhaps most incredible of all was the Steel Products News Bureau attack on the grounds that "the elimination of beverage cans will work against Oregon's resource recovery goals because with no cans and glass in the trash, the trash won't be worth recycling."
Despite such far-fetched reasoning, the legislation was passed, signed into action and enforced. Result? "It's a rip-roaring success," says Governor McCall. Reports from the state indicate that, while the overall beverage business is up, the litter problem in Oregon is dramatically down. Every state except Tennessee is now considering a similar bill and you can help encourage the passage of such legislation.
For a more complete rundown on the success of Oregon's "bottle bill" and specific ideas for duplicating that state's litter-fighting accomplishments in your own area, get a copy of the March 24, 1973 issue of Rodale's Environment Action Bulletin, Rodale Press, Inc., Emmaus, Pa. 18049. Send 'em 50c for the special issue and tell 'em MOTHER sent you.
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