Stop the Plastic

Stop The Plastic is a Houston based grassroots effort to promote legislation for a Refund/Deposit/Return Bottle Bill for Texas in 2011.  10 states already have bottle bills, many of them established in the late 70’s early 80’s. Hawaii is the newest as of 2005.  The bills take 2 to 3 years to implement after passage and  cover aluminum, plastic, and glass drink containers.  Opposition is greatest from the grocery industry, distributors, and bottling industry.

A bottle bill typically achieves 80-90% recycle rate due to the refund involved, cleans up the waterways , highways, public areas, decreases landfill input, and feeds the recycle industry.  The deposits not claimed by consumers are used to manage the program and may be disbursed towards environmental issues of the states.

Stop the Plastic is currently drumming up a very wide email contact list of organizations and individuals to be contacted when the time comes to voice your opinion to the state legislators. You can sign up for e-action alerts, share plastic pollution pictures, or ask questions at http://www.plasticpollutiontexas.com. Look for the opportunity to come to one of their Informational Meetings in the near future.