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Pitch

Food & drink containers can be recycled but the option is not easily available in fast food restaurants where they are instead “thrown out”


Description

Summary

In our consumer based society, improper disposal of plastic, styrofoam and polystyrene containers; "bubble top" beverage cups and other recyclables from fast food restaurants are over-filling our land fills and creating marine debris in our oceans at an alarming rate.

In addition to landfills, this waste is also disposed of by the use of waste combustors which burn municipal waste at exceedingly high temperatures. Although government regulations attempt to reduce any harmful effects, air pollution from toxic chemicals and the release of CO2 gases is still the result, contributing to the world crisis of global warming and affecting climate change.

 


Category of the action

Reducing emissions from waste management


What actions do you propose?

The Solution is Simple

Requiring recycling containers to be installed in fast food restaurants will give consumers the option of properly disposing of renewable waste. The resulting increase in recycling will provide jobs and help to save our planet.


Who will take these actions?

This proposal will be presented to members of the California State legislature who have demonstrated concern and interest in protecting the environment so that they may help create and introduce it as a bill.


Where will these actions be taken?

Once this legislation is enacted, fast food chains will be required to work with their local municipalities and waste disposal services to install recycling bins inside their restaurants and to schedule pick-up of recyclables along with their regular trash collection. Customers will be encouraged to dispose of fast food containers in these receptacles through signage and advertising from these "green" establishments.


What are other key benefits?

The environmental gains would be drastic reductions of waste and pollution while also providing an economic benefit to our state.  It has been estimated that recycling, re-use, and composting create six to ten times as many jobs as waste incineration and landfills.


How much will emissions be reduced or sequestered vs. business as usual levels?

This is not yet determined but the reduction in emissions will be potentially enormous.


What are the proposal’s costs?

Most waste disposal companies provide recycling bins at little or no cost and the collection is included in monthly service fees. In some cases, businesses may be required to pay additional fees for extra containers and collection services.

Environmental design specialists could be hired to create recycling bins that use recirculating water to lightly rinse plastic beverage containers so that they are ready for immediate recycling. There will be some research and installation costs associated with this but it could be introduced as a design contest sponsored by companies such as Starbucks who would install the bins in their locations.

The financial impact should be minimal and offset by improved customer relations. These businesses will be able to advertise themselves as "green" and "green friendly" thus drawing in a larger clientele of environmentally conscious consumers.

Although the legislation will be geared toward large restaurant and beverage chains, small "mom and pops" will also be encouraged to participate. Businesses may be able to apply for grant money from environmental groups if necessary to help implement these changes.


Time line

The timeline is however long the legislative process may take.The businesses affected will be given a reasonable amount of time to comply with the law.


Related proposals

In 1988, the California Beverage Container Recycling and Litter Reduction Act AKA "The Bottle Bill" (AB2020 Margolin) was implemented and became one of the nation's leading waste reduction programs. Since this law was passed in 1988, Californians have recycled more than 10 million tons of aluminum, glass and plastic beverage containers making it the most successful and cost effective recycling program in California history.

The Recycling Containers at Fast Food Restaurants bill would no doubt meet with similar success.


References

The Clean Air Council estimates that every year Americans throw away enough paper and plastic cups, forks, and spoons to circle the equator 300 times.

[Wills, A. (2010, June 21). Recycling To-Go Plastics. Retrieved from http://www.cleanair.org/Waste/wasteFacts.html]

Plastic is pervasive and resistant to degrading on land. The barriers of all landfills will eventually break down and leak these plastic toxics into ground and surface water.http://www.cleanair.org/Waste/wasteFacts.html

In the sea, the breakdown of plastics creates toxic fragments that are ingested by marine life and are concentrated into persistent organic pollutants (POPs) found in areas such as the North Pacific Gyre and throughout the world's oceans.

http://www.unep.org/regionalseas/marinelitter/publications/docs/plastic_ocean_report.pdf

 [Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives. (2009, June 15). Despite Green Claims, Incinerator Industry Just Blowing Smoke. Retrieved fromhttp://www.cleanair.org/Waste/wasteFacts.html