Is It Worth Five Cents?

As summer continues to scorch us with soaring temperatures, many of us are reaching for the nearest cold beverage to keep us cool. However, would we be so quick to purchase if the prices on our favorite soft drinks or bottled water brands reflected a tax that other states do not require?

With a growing concern for the environment and a sense of urgency to slow the affects of global warming, an article in last Thursdays Wall Street Journal states beverage makers are in the process of developing plans to reduce bottled waste and encourage recycling. However, their strategies do not include the idea of enforcing a nationwide deposit tax to the sale price of these beverages, which had been proposed earlier by lawmakers.

This idea originally sparked when the switch from glass bottled soft drinks to plastic bottles and aluminum cans began creating more litter. While eleven states, including California, currently have deposit laws on soft drinks, only four states are preparing to extend the law to the sale of bottled water. My question to you is as follows: Would you be willing to pay an extra five cents for bottled water if you knew it would increase recycling, and inevitably, improve the condition of our planet?

According to that same article, The Container Recycling Institute says beverage-container recycling rates average at about 70% in deposit law states, but only at a mere 34% across the nation.

In an attempt to avoid the possibility of a new federal bill, beverage makers are making significant progress by producing bottles that use less plastic. But is that enough? Coca-Cola has developed plans and invested over $41 million in building new recycling plants. However, running these plants may end up consuming enough energy to offset their effort at recycling all together.

Five cents here and there is a small price to pay for a better future, and it is sad to see that currently eleven states agree with that. Do you?