Episode #141

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Fifty years of data on deposit return system (DRS) laws (or “bottle bills”) in the U.S. demonstrate that these programs effectively boost collection and recycling rates, create opportunities and jobs in local economies, prevent roadside litter and plastic pollution, and catalyze reuse.

What is the importance of reuse in DRS, and how can DRS policies incorporate the latest thinking on reuse solutions, funding, and incentives?

Learn more about this and recent policy wins across the country in our latest installation of Indisposable Live: How US Bottle Bills are Accelerating Reuse.

Special guest panelists include Susan Collins, President of the Container Recycling Institute; Sarah Nichols, Sustainable Maine Director at the Natural Resources Council of Maine; and Peter Spendelow, Natural Resource Specialist at Oregon Dept of Environmental Quality. They will showcase the distinct ways that California, Oregon, and Maine have begun to incorporate reuse/refill into their bottle bills.

Resources:

• Watch the livestream

• Bottlebill.org

• Maine's bottle bill (LD1909)

  • Chaptered text of the updated law in Maine

• CA SB 1013 page

• The New Reuse Economy: How reuse systems and services will revolutionize how we consume

• 1974 EPA report: Second Report to Congress - Resource Recovery and Source Reduction