Containing Litter

The returnable beverage bottle has become a sort of industrial relic. So has that once hallowed implement to puncture beer cans, the "church key." But their more convenient replacements--the no-deposit, no-return bottle and the pull-tab can--are now too much in evidence. Americans annually gulp the contents of some 40 billion bottles and 50 billion cans. The one-time-only use results in massive littering.

In an effort to stem the litter-tide, Oregon last October became the first state to ban all no-deposit, no-return bottles, and cans with pop tops. Oregonians must now pay a 2-c- to 10-c- deposit on beer and soft-drink containers. A total of 37 other states--including California--are considering similar legislation. Before they act, however, they must consider a practical question: Does Oregon's law work?

"It's a rip-roaring success," says Oregon Governor Tom McCall. He points to a three-month-long survey of receptacles along 25 selected roads and highways which found 75% fewer cans and bottles than usual. McCall's conclusion: even relatively affluent Americans will return containers to claim the deposit. The container and bottling industries disagree, contending that, despite the law, the number of discarded empties has actually increased. Moreover, the manufacturers say, Oregon's law is needlessly hurting industry.

The state's beverage canners have been hardest hit, because customers are reluctant to pay deposits on cans and are buying more bottled products. One Eugene firm, Emerald Canning Co., has shut down; California's Shasta Beverages, which distributes its drinks in cans, is also suffering financially in its Oregon operations. Bottlers complain about the cost of picking up empties and retooling plants to wash and refill them.

Oregon's new law has also brought woes to retail and wholesale outlets. Managers lack sufficient storage space and say costs of sorting the empties are mounting. Instead of returning the old bottles and cans to beverage companies, many storeowners send their empties directly to the dump.

The real test in Oregon will come this summer, when temperatures rise and consumers get thirstier. Will tourists return empty containers? Will manufacturers and sales outlets cooperate? The answers will help to determine whether America can return to the habits of a less wasteful age.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.