Published: March 31, 2009 11:06 pm         

TRIBUNE-STAR EDITORIAL: When will we stop trashing Indiana roadsides?

Proponents of failed bill should keep on trying

TERRE HAUTE — When will we stop trashing Indiana roadsides?

A law requiring a 10-cent refundable deposit on beverage containers would decrease litter, encourage recycling and slow the fill-ups of Hoosier landfills. Unfortunately, the 2009 Indiana legislature has tossed aside such a proposal.

House Bill 1570 failed to stay alive in the current session. Its sponsor, Rep. Vern Tincher, D-Terre Haute, said he was told the House environmental committee’s agenda was too full to allow a hearing on his bottle-deposit bill. If lawmakers had passed it, Indiana would have joined 11 other states with bottle laws, including northern neighbor Michigan.

“Michigan’s had it for 30 years, and it’s worked successfully there,” Tincher said Tuesday morning.

In fact, some groups in Michigan want to expand its 1976 law to include bottled waters, teas and sports drinks, which didn’t exist when it was written 33 years ago.

Under Tincher’s bill, a gamut of bottled drinks would have carried an added 10-cent deposit. Glass, plastic and metal containers of various waters, soft drinks, beer, mixed wine or spirits would have been covered. Consumers would be refunded that dime deposit when they returned their empty bottles to recycling bins at groceries and markets. Drink distributors would also pay refunds to the grocers. The deposits on bottles left unreturned would be used to compensate retailers and benefit the Indiana Heritage Trust Fund, which buys land from willing sellers to protect wildlife habitats.

Grocers and soft drink makers opposed the bill, Tincher said.

Indeed, any sort of recycling effort involves inconvenience for consumers, retailers and the state. Littering, on the other hand, feels quite convenient, at least to the offending litterbug. A tossed pop bottle goes out the car window, out of sight, out of mind. The damage to the Hoosier countryside is readily seen by thousands of people, polluting the view, land and streams. Others must clean up the mess, costing volunteers their time and taxpayers their money to fund public road crews.

Indiana has much to lose from waiting to implement a bottle-deposit law. Fishing, hunting, hiking and outdoors activities give Hoosiers and visitors a recreational outlet.

Tincher isn’t sure if he’ll revive his bill in the General Assembly’s short 2010 session. If not, another lawmaker should pick up on his attempt and make a whole-hearted commitment toward passing an Indiana bottle bill. The result would be a cleaner Hoosier state.