
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 7, 1990                   TAG: 9003071871
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

WHY NOT RETURN ALL DRINK CONTAINERS?

THE FEB. 12 story by David M. Poole about the "bottle bill" quotes a spokesman as saying it would place a burden on businesses. Well, I know a lot of people nowadays want everything to be by remote control.

I remember when all beverage and beer bottles had a deposit, and I did not see too many of those thrown down on streets, alleys, parking lots and roads. Now, bottling companies deliver part of the beverages in deposit bottles and part in throwaways. Same amount of work until retailer buys the bottle.

Then the consumer pays for the bottle plus tax and is asked to recycle, which helps the littering and landfill some. But no matter how much publicity, signs posted, etc., some people will still throw trash in public places.

Why can't bottling companies buy all the drink containers and have them returned to be sterilized and refilled? I think the cost to bottlers for handling and filling bottles to be thrown away could be spent for another employee or two to help with the so-called burden.

Why can't they own all the glass bottles that they use instead of part of them? Also the dealer may receive some benefit from the cost of bottles thrown way and be able to give a job to another individual to help organize and handle the returned bottles.

TOM ASH\ ROANOKE

by CNB