Could a 10-cent bottle deposit system be in the state’s future?
Could a 10-cent bottle deposit system be in the state’s future?

mynorthwest.com
10-cent bottle deposit system bill being considered in Washington

Could a 10-cent bottle deposit system be in the state’s future?
10-cent bottle deposit system bill being considered in Washington
I'm sympathetic to the goal of trying to recycle more bottles but here's my problem: Like more than 10% of the population of the state, I live in Seattle. I have a giant blue recycle bin that's included for free with garbage service. The cheapest, laziest thing I can do with a plastic bottle is throw it in my recycling bin for efficient, high-volume pickup and recycling. The proposed deposit system adds a lot of administrative hassle, inconvenience, and waste (in the form of recycling return bags). Or I do what's easiest and the most environmentally friendly but accept an extra expense. Would our resources not be better spent encouraging or subsidizing recycling programs in communities with difficult, expensive, or non-existent recycling programs? We don't even have to hit every tiny town in the middle of nowhere to make a big difference. There has to be a good amount of low-hanging fruit out there where we could get a lot more recycling done, without making recycling worse in the places where it already has high participation.