Mark Hatfield: “For over two decades, my State of Oregon, and about the same period of time the State of Vermont, have had on the books…”

“For over two decades, my State of Oregon, and about the same period of time the State of Vermont, have had on the books and in practice what we call the bottle bill. When you buy soft drinks and beer in my State, whether they are in the can or the bottle, you pay a deposit. That deposit becomes an incentive for people to return those bottles and cans rather than dumping them in the garbage and adding to the problem of trash and refuse in this country. We have found it to be highly successful. At first there was a great deal of concern expressed by merchants about the additional costs of administering this program. There was a great deal of discussion about the possibility of labor being impacted. We have demonstrated, along with a modification or variation on a theme in a few other States, an effective measure to reduce litter and to recycle the glass from the bottles and the metal from the cans. I have offered this at a national level for over 20 years and it is very interesting that the beer industry opposes it very strongly.”