Agenda - Council - 11/25/1980 - Laserfiche WebLink

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- 9- ' ' t Mandatory deposit measures have been enacted by Connectlcu , Oregon, Vermont, Michigan, Delaware, Iowa and Maine, and have proven to be effective as a method of waste reduction. Similar action by the Minnesota Legislature would be required to implement mandatory deposit programs in Minnesota. National estimates indicate that container deposit legislation can reduce the solid waste stream by an average of two to four per- cent. Michigan has experienced one of the highest reductions in their waste stream--six percent--due to recent deposit legislation. Additional benefits of container deposits include reduction of roadside litter, energy savings for container production, reduc- tion of virgin material consumption, and an increase in recycling and redistribution of containers. Disadvantages of container deposit legislation include higher consumer costs when the con- tainer is not returned, potentially higher costs due to added handling, added handling and storage requirements for the retailer, consumer convenience is reduced, and reduction of material available for other recycling systems. PACKAGING REDUCTION Three basic approaches to packaging reduction exist: the regula- tory approach, standardized packaging laws and the industrial education aproach. The regulatory approach allows the state to review and suspend the use of packaging that constitutes a serious solid waste or environmental problem. Minnesota StatuteS, Chapter 116.06 and Minnesota Rules SR-1 through SR-6 represent one form of the regulatory approach. The second approach--standardized packaging laws--would require certain products to be sold in packages meeting requirements for standard size, weight, durability and reusability. For example, based on national data for both the United States and Canada, generation rates (measured as packaging weight per capita) experi- enced in 1958 could be achieved today using alternative manufac- turing technologies to produce lighter packages and through elimi- nation of "over-packaging" (Love, 1974). These accomplishments could potentially reduce the solid waste stream by five percent. Lighter packages can be produced simply by using thinner packaging materials where customer specifications allow. ~owever, Minnesota's current packaging law will not be able to reduce waste to a comparable degree since the majority of wasteful packaging is outside the scope of the law. The third approach--industrial education--seeks to provide indus- try with information and assistance in researching and.developing packaging methods that reduce solid waste. It is difficult to know how effective industrial education will be in reducing solid waste since information is not available on such a program in the United States.