Recycling Gone Mad

Why does the government make things so difficult? By definition – since we’re talking about the government after all – this is a rhetorical question, but some people are so confused about recycling rules that they have simply given up; hiding plastics of all sorts inside of paper bags in the regular trash cans.

I have not figured out why plastic containers marked with a #3 or #7 should not be recycled, but what has been a real hassle for me is Connecticut’s Bottle Bill. Why can I place newspaper, corrugated cardboard, soup cans and my empty Low-Fat Jiff Peanut Butter containers in the blue bin, but my Caffeine-Free Pepsi cans and bottles of Stella must be brought back to a store that sells the stuff so I can get my nickel back?

We’re not talking about the federal tax code, just recycling some bottles and cans. So with all of the technology advancements we’ve had in the past decade, why can’t we just toss the bottles into the blue bins?

Connecticut’s Bottle Bill was enacted in 1978, when there was no such thing as a blue recycle bin. The goal of the program was to keep people from tossing cans out the window onto the side of the road. My family didn’t toss them on the street, but instead tossed them into the basement. One of my chores was to crush the aluminum or steel cans (I can’t remember what the metal was) using the heal of my foot or the vice. I’m not sure where they ended up, but I’m quite certain that my dad took them somewhere for cash once or twice per year. The system worked.

Then came the nickel deposit. It was a pain in the but. You had to pay 30 cents for every six pack to the store when you made your purchase. Then, after consuming your beverages, you brought the cans back to the store to collect your 30 cents back. Why would anyone not like this law? You got all of your money back didn’t you?

Ugh. I was only 13 and I still understood that someone had borrowed my money and I wasn’t getting any interest.

With programs like this, there is money to be made. Small businesses popped up and even charities got involved in collecting bottles. Hey mister, you don’t really need that nickel do ya? Even the homeless were able to gather a few dollars by collecting cans on the side of the road.

This week, Connecticut recycling centers – probably teaming up with the Boy Scouts and the homeless – are looking for help from the state. In an AP story published yesterday, Susan Haigh informs us that these small businesses are unable to stay in business due to increased costs and flat revenue.  Recycling centers want to increase their cut of the nickel, plus have bottles that are currently exempted from the fee – water, tea and power drinks – added to the list of items that include a deposit.

There are only 14 businesses in Connecticut that have not diversified and have stuck with the 1978 business model. There is no reason to expand this program to simply help these guys – sorry.

If our goal is to simply keep the streets clean, why not charge a deposit on newspapers, pizza boxes, McDonald’s soda cups and cigarette buts? This would allow those 14 businesses to expand and diversify.

Does that clarify how stupid the idea was in 1978?