Pennsylvania lawmakers aim to pass a bill to start a bottle and can deposit program

Pennsylvania lawmakers are aiming to pass a bill to start a bottle and can deposit program in Pennsylvania.  State Rep. Wendy Ullman initiated it as a part of a larger legislation called “Zero Waste Pa.” According to Ullman, this program will help cleaning up the streets and waterways as beverage packaging comprises 6% of waste and 50% of all litter.

“My legislation will support and reward recycling, which will ultimately reduce waste throughout Pennsylvania and keep our outdoor areas beautiful and free from litter,” Ullman said in a news release.

Ullman wants recycling to become a part of everyday life, and she has seen it happen in other states, “It’s part of what people do,” she said of residents in Maine, where a bottle and can deposit system has been in place since the 70s.

She wants the residents to make recycling a part of their daily life which is the fact in other states like Maine, where they follow a bottle and can deposit system. Ullman is hopeful that the bill would be passed and that will be the beginning of her efforts in cleaning up Pennsylvania.

The legislation would allow residents to receive 5 cents for each of the used cans and bottles they deposit. For retailers and collection centers, they would receive 2 cents for each container to help pay for the costs of handling and processing recycled items.

Bottle and can deposit programs have always been encouraged by the beverage industry so that they can be reused. According to the report, states with bottle and can return systems have seen a significant increase in recycling. For aluminium cans, recycling rates are as high as 80% but, in states that don’t have these programs, aluminium recycling rates are 46%

Ullman estimates that PennDOT spends more than $10 million dollars a year cleaning up the roads and a bottle and can return scheme will help in less littering and waste on the roads.