I think the debate on deposit laws is good for everyone to hear. What we've missed has been the history of how we have come to the point of being a throwaway society. Technology is wonderful and has brought many good things. Plastics are a great technological discovery and have added much to our quality of life. However, business is more interested in profit than responsibility for its products and their impact on society.
Do I sound harsh? I am a businessman. I know how greed drives me. However, as I approach the silver years of my life, I see how some of my actions have hurt the very space I live in on this planet.
How does this relate to the container bills? Simply. During World War II, this country recycled everything. It was a national concern to fight a terrible enemy. But after the war, big business with technology had only one aim: make profit. Advertising did its job to convince us we needed to buy something to make us happier. In essence, a very materialist approach to an unattainable dream.
One of the areas that changed was the use of plastic where glass was used in the past. Most the benefits were on the manufacturing side. New lightweight containers meant less freight cost, less manufacturing cost and less breakage. For the consumer, there is more convenience to throw in the trash can, more safety and more product (sometimes).
We have become a throwaway society. That is the real issue. We act as if there is enough oil and natural resources to go on forever.
We are responsible for what is happening, and the container-deposit bill is an effort by a few who have a greater vision of change that is needed for the future of this planet. Also, recycling creates jobs. If we had deposit bills in every state, there would be no cause for businessmen to fear loss of sales.
Old people do not get hurt by container-deposit laws. For some of them, it is a source of income. Older people recycle because they have gained wisdom. Deposit laws are good for recycling, and they work.
Any program that promotes and takes more plastics off the street and back into the recycling stream is good for all of us.
Walter Bobruk
Agency Fibers Ltd. LCC
Huntsville, Texas