Nov 3 - OK - Lawmakers Take a Look at Implementing Bottle Bill Program

State Rep. Mark McCullough (R-Sapulpa) is interested in a Bottle Bill program for the state of Oklahoma - a bill that would require a nickel deposit on beer, soda and water bottles. The refundable deposit would pertain to aluminum, glass and plastic beverage containers.

According to  Rep. McCullough, “It appears passage of a ‘bottle bill’ in Oklahoma could create an incentive for people to recycle bottles instead of putting them in the trash, aiding existing industry in our state while also reducing litter.”

Not only will this relieve the litter problem, it will also create good green jobs in OK. Steven Segebarth, an official with St. Gobain Containers, noted that the glass packaging industry would benefit from increased recycling efforts.  There are 48 glass plants in 22 states comprising a $5.5 billion industry.  Such facilities employ 18,000 individuals nationally, including 1,000 in Oklahoma, Segebarth said. Unfortunately, he said estimates indicate 1.8 billion of the 2.4 billion beverage containers now sold annually in Oklahoma wind up in landfills instead of being recycled.

There are now three glass plants and three paper plants in Oklahoma that would benefit from a more robust recycling program that would reduce landfill challenges.

And Mike Smaha, an official with Owens-Illinois Glass, told lawmakers his company obtains 80 percent of their recyclable material from the 10 “bottle bill” states.

“This is not a Sierra Club bill or an idea from someone with a big-government approach to problem-solving,” Rep. McCullough said. “Instead, this is a market-driven proposal brought to me by the manager of a local glass plant. It seems the time is ripe to use market forces to reduce litter in our state while helping existing plants in Oklahoma better compete nationally and internationally.”

View the press release
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