Resource Management Project - Bottle Bill Abstract

This is the abstract I wrote on a bill called the "Bottle Bill" that relates to my resource management topic of choice; plastic. Feel free to read the abstract to learn more about what is being done in the country in order to encourage recycling (unfortunately, it's not much).

ABSTRACT

          The United States is among the top consumers of plastic in the world. This is a benefit for the businesses on the plastic market, but an extremely high cost for the environment. Petroleum based plastics are the leaders in the plastic market. The top two petroleum based plastics are PET (#1) and HDPE (#2), often seen in the form of water bottles and other beverage containers. Water bottle consumption is high in the United States, but plastic recycling is low. Presently, approximately 6.8 % of all plastic used in the U.S. in completely recycled. Recycling is the more environmentally friendly way of disposing of petroleum based plastics due to the fact that plastic does not degrade for up to 1,000 years in a landfill or as litter. However, it is not necessarily an easy task to mandate that all citizens recycle, and it is even more difficult to make sure that they recycle the many types of plastics correctly. However, there are methods to increase the rate of recycling in the United States. One solution to the recycling problem is a bill called the Bottle Bill, used in eleven states nationwide.

          The Bottle Bill was created with the purpose of being a sustainable method of recapturing plastic bottles in order to raise recycling rates. The bill requires that a small charge be placed on all plastic containers that qualify, usually about five to ten cents, when purchased. This fee is refunded when the containers are returned to a recycling center. The monetary reward gives citizens incentive to recycle. The positive outcomes of this bill are said to be the conservation of energy and resources, the reduction of waste and litter and disposal costs, and the potential creation of jobs and businesses. California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan , New York, Oregon, and Vermont are states that use their own forms of the bottle bill, and these states have higher rates of recycling that others. Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Maryland, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and West Virginia are states that have campaigns to put Bottle Bills into action in the state.