Profit in bottle laws
Standardized container legislation, while it would pose problems during a transition stage, would reduce solid waste and litter, conserve resources, and lower packaging costs. Consumers would retain empty containers and return them to the store. Closed-top baskets could be designed to maintain sanitation and eliminate counting and sorting problems. Another method would separate returnable containers from other solid waste by magnetic coding for reprocessing. The burden would rest on the consumer, and some problems would arise because of the widespread use of trash compactors. Transitional problems for the packaging industry would cause some disruption in production and employment and would require investment. Present container legislation has been successful when it has utilized private markets and encountered few enforcement problems. Research is needed in the area of material source control to complement recycling. Incentives in the form of deposit returns are modestly successful for bottle recovery, but a legislated standardization of containers would allow new methods of collection and lower prices. 17 references (DCK)
- Research Organization:
- Indiana Univ., Bloomington
- OSTI ID:
- 7331089
- Journal Information:
- Environment; (United States), Journal Name: Environment; (United States) Vol. 18:10; ISSN ENVTA
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
290200 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Economics & Sociology
290300 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Environment
Health
& Safety
291000* -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Conservation
32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
320604 -- Energy Conservation
Consumption
& Utilization-- Municipalities & Community Systems-- Municipal Waste Management-- (1980-)
42 ENGINEERING
420900 -- Engineering-- Waste Processing Plants & Equipment-- (-1989)
BEHAVIOR
CONTAINERS
ECONOMICS
ENERGY SOURCES
GLASS
INVESTMENT
LEGAL ASPECTS
LEGISLATION
MANAGEMENT
MATERIALS RECOVERY
PACKAGING
PROCESSING
RECOVERY
RECYCLING
RESOURCE CONSERVATION
SOLID WASTES
STANDARDIZATION
WASTE MANAGEMENT
WASTE PROCESSING
WASTES