MARINA, Calif. \u2013 Lawmakers in California have littered their desks with measures designed to eliminate plastic products, such as bags and even straws. But in failing to provide an adequate system for recycling these items \u2013 along with glass, metal and paper \u2013 they have created an environmental mess and a socio-economic dilemma.<\/p>\n
At the public park I frequent several times a week for baseball practice, I can pretty much set my watch by the arrival of Samuel, toting two or three bulging trash bags. He deftly lifts the lids on garbage bins and rummages a bit, looking for plastic bottles and aluminum cans. He also picks up what\u2019s on the ground, leaving the park considerably tidier than he found it.<\/p>\n
His scavenging brings him roughly $60 a week he told me, or at least it used to. Locating a recycling center where he can sell his scrap for cash has become increasingly difficult. This month California\u2019s largest recycling operator, RePlanet, closed all of its 284 locations, pushing the state\u2019s deeply flawed recycling system closer to chaos.<\/p>\n
Redemption and recycling of bottles and cans, which came on the scene some 50 years ago, is based on a beautifully simple system. Consumers pay a nickel deposit \u2013 a dime for larger items \u2013 at the time of purchase, and get the money back when they return the empties. For consumers who can\u2019t be bothered, most municipalities offer curbside collections of recyclables. California also has subsidized redemption depots, where folks like Samuel trade trash for cash.<\/p>\n
Today, every aspect of California\u2019s system is in disarray. Many stores simply ignore their obligation to take back empties; others prefer to pay a daily fine of $100 to be spared the hassle. Curbside collections, in which various recyclable products are commingled in a single truck, are yielding contaminated trash that increasingly winds up in landfills. Meanwhile, the global market for recyclables is shrinking, with buyers such as China paying less and demanding cleaner materials.<\/p>\n
State auditors have repeatedly identified fraud in California\u2019s system among retailers and recycling companies. And, when it comes to cash deposits, there\u2019s the fact that a nickel doesn\u2019t incentivize today\u2019s consumers as it did half a century ago.<\/p>\n
The nonprofit Consumer Watchdog organization notes that more than 40 percent of California\u2019s redemption centers have closed in the last five years. Without changes in how the state subsidizes and regulates these businesses, the group concludes, \u201cthe recycling centers that are the centerpiece of the state\u2019s bottle deposit law are doomed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Only 10 states have redemption programs for bottles and cans, with no states added to the list since Hawaii launched its program in 2005. However, six other state legislatures are now considering \u201cBottle Bills,\u201d which is a hopeful sign, despite California\u2019s recent struggles.<\/p>\n
Here on the Monterey Peninsula in Central California, there is only one remaining redemption facility to serve seven cities and towns, with a combined population of 170,000, spread over 853 square miles. This \u201cBuy Back Center,\u201d operated by local government, was built years ago near the municipal dump. \u201cIt was designed to serve 10 or 20 customers a day,\u201d explains Tim Flanagan, the general manager. \u201cToday, we\u2019re getting eight times that many people, some of whom arrive on bicycles or by foot on a road that wasn\u2019t designed for public access, it was designed for garbage trucks. It was never intended that people would walk to get here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Flanagan says all of California faces \u201ca total disconnect with recycling. The cost of labor and transportation are up, while state subsidies for recycling facilities have not kept pace.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gov. Gavin Newsom needs to take immediate action to clean this up. Requirements for retailers to participate in recycling must be enforced. Recycling centers must be adequately subsidized to reflect fluctuations in the world scrap market. Residents should be educated about which materials are appropriate for curbside collections. Deposits paid by consumers should be raised to 10 cents for smaller bottles and cans \u2013 as is the case in Michigan, where the results are impressive.<\/p>\n
Because of its size, California\u2019s failures \u2013 as well as its achievements \u2013 are magnified. With a vast coastline and natural wonders it should be a model for efficient recycling, not the poster state for environmental mismanagement and malfeasance.<\/p>\n
Recycling empty bottles and cans isn\u2019t rocket science. It\u2019s actually one of the simplest things we can do to keep the planet clean, as explained to me at the park the other day by the guy with bags of bottles and cans, who was willing to stoop to conquer.<\/p>\n