SWANA comes out in support of bottle bills
The association’s updated policy endorses container deposit systems that allow recyclers to participate, set higher deposit values and allow for curbside materials to be included.
Dive Brief:
- The Solid Waste Association of North America has updated its policy position to support deposit return systems as a key to increasing collection rates and reducing litter. Its policy focuses on “single use” beverage containers.
- SWANA supports bottle bill policies as long as they meet characteristics such as ensuring recyclers are allowed to participate in the system, allowing ownership of covered materials to be retained “by whomever possesses it” and designing the program so any generated funds are invested back into the system.
- SWANA also advocates for bottle bills that allow material collected curbside to be returned through deposit systems and have deposit values that are high enough to incentivize consumers to return the containers. It also calls for encouraging container designs that work effectively with existing recycling and reuse systems.
