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

DATE: FRIDAY, February 1, 1991                   TAG: 9102010756
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A-6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

VERMONT FARED WELL WITH RETURNABLES

CRITICISM of Sen. Marye's bottle bill is unwarranted. As a resident of Vermont during the institution of its bottle bill in the 1970s, I can testify that the transition went smoothly. It also quickly achieved its objective of removing cans and bottles from the roadside.

While initially some retailers complained about having to handle the returnables, those who did so efficiently found it lucrative because of the handling fees they were paid. Indeed, it was profitable enough that in almost every community, one or more redemption centers started up, which further streamlined the process.

I know of no one who curtailed consumption of beverages because of the small deposit. Many of us found the saved bottles and cans a convenient source of cash for minor financial emergencies.

Ray Garland (Jan. 24 column) demonstrates a vivid imagination when he compares the potential political and logistical problems of Virginia's bottle bill with Gorbachev's problems in the Soviet Union. The analogy would be almost humorous, were it not that every day I drive past literally tons of trash on the roadside that would not be there if we had a bottle law. PIERRE ANGIER HILLSVILLE

by CNB