Update: The Bottle Bill and the Economy

By Julia Danahy

Not only will an update to the Bottle Bill help keep our parks clean, it could also give a much-needed boost to our local economy. According to the new report “Returning to Work: Understanding the Domestic Jobs Impacts from Different Methods of Recycling Beverage Containers” by the Container Recycling Institute (CRI), increasing redeemable bottles will provide an increase in business as well as employment. In times when high unemployment rates seem stagnant, Massachusetts should take this opportunity to increase job openings for residents. Updating the Bottle Bill is a smart choice to increase jobs while also increasing recycling rates statewide. Returning to Work can be downloaded at the Container Recycling Institutes website.

The new study also confirms some encouraging news: increasing recycling provides new jobs in the market. As reported on the CRI’s website, the comprehensive study takes a look at domestic employment increases and decreases if “beverage containers made of glass, aluminum, and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) are recovered through container deposit-return programs, curbside recycling, and enhanced curbside recycling, versus landfill disposal.” The study shows possible employment increases from container deposit-return programs far outreach any corresponding job losses from decreased landfill material contribution or virgin material extraction.

Additionally, CRI has created a user-friendly online calculator, the MIRJCalc (Measuring the Impact of Recycling on Jobs Calculator) for computing the effects recycling could have on employment in any state. This supplemental tool takes into account the same wide range of information used for the report to deliver information on any state of interest to the user. The MIRJCalc can be downloaded on the Container Recycling Institutes website.

Help to update the Bottle Bill! Contacting your local representative and showing your support for updating the Bottle Bill is an effective and easy way to promote change. Postcards regarding the Bottle Bill can also be sent to your representative, and can be found at the Emerald Necklace Conservancy as well as other supporting organizations.

For more information on the Bottle Bill and how to help, visit the Massachusetts Coalition to Update the Bottle Bill website:
http://www.massbottlebill.org/ubb/index.htm
http://www.container-recycling.org/issues/jobs.htm