The Recycling Is Infrastructure Too! (RIIT) Campaign continued its webinar series on August 24 with a webinar organized by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance. A beverage container deposit system has been proposed in the national Break Free From Plastic Pollution Act (in addition to other proposed federal bills), and there is also increasing interest in expanding existing or creating new state bottle bills, this webinar highlighted best practices and issues that should be addressed in state and national bottle bills, including:
- Should bottlers and distributors keep unredeemed deposits or should unredeemed deposits be reinvested to support container reuse and recycling programs?
- Should there be a refillable mandate?
- Should bottle bills systems operate independently of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programs for packaging?
- Is this the right time for a national beverage container deposit bill or should we continue to focus on diverse state bills?
To see the full webinar, go here
The RIIT Bottle Bill webinar featured the following experienced researchers and advocates:
Clarissa Morawski, Reloop Platform, “Life cycle analysis of single use and reusable packaging and latest legislative proposals for reusable packaging and refillable bottles in Europe”.
About Clarissa:
Clarissa Morawski co-founded the Reloop Platform, an international not-for-profit representing industry, ENGOs and government with a shared vision of a circular economy. Working with industry, federal, provincial and municipal governments, and the not-for-profit sector, Clarissa Morawski brings over 25 years of technical, analytical and communications experience in waste minimization policy and operations. Since 1998, Clarissa has written over 130 articles and cover stories on product stewardship and waste management.
Elizabeth Balkan, Reloop Platform, “What We Waste Report and overview of deposit system design fundamentals for high performing systems.”
About Elizabeth:
As Director of Reloop Americas, an NGO focused on advancing circular packaging, Elizabeth Balkan brings over a decade of strategy and public policy experience. She has worked directly with municipalities to implement complex operational programs seeking to align environmental and economic priorities. Balkan has been named a “40 Under 40” food policy leader in New York and is an adjunct in the Food and Nutrition Studies Graduate Program at NYU.
Chris Burger, Sierra Club, “National Sierra Club Beverage Container Guidance”
About Chris:
Chris chairs the Sierra Club’s Atlantic (NY) Chapter Zero Waste Committee, serves on National Sierra Club’s Zero Waste Team and was part of a 6 member ZW Policy Task Force that wrote the new Sierra Club ZW Policy. Chris also is co-founder and Vice Chair of the New York Sustainable Business Council. He co-founded and chairs the Network for a Sustainable Tomorrow (NeST) and is a former County Legislator.
Mary Lou Van Deventer, Urban Ore and British Columbia Bottle Depot and Recycling Association, “Container deposit system under Extended Producer Responsible system in British Columbia”
About Mary Lou:
Mary Lou co-owns Urban Ore, a business that salvages for reuse at the Berkeley transfer station, picks up unwanted things when called, and receives up to 100 vehicles a day carrying unwanted but still-useful goods. Urban Ore Development Associates also designs Zero Waste systems and Total Recycling facilities for communities.
Caren McNamara, Conscious Container – Refillable Glass Bottle Marketplace, “How to build refillable containers into container deposit systems”
About Caren:
Caren founded Conscious Container, a California Benefit Corporation, in 2017 to bring a refillable glass bottle marketplace back into the US economy and infrastructure to reduce single use packaging waste.
- Sept. 28: Eligible Grants in Proposed Bills webinar
- Nov. 3-4: A presentation at the National Recycling Congress
- Dec. 8-9: A presentation at the National Zero Waste Conference
