The most outspoken opponents to bottle bills are almost exclusively the big-name beverage producers. The Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, Anheuser Busch, and their bottlers and distributers fight deposit laws at every turn. Retail grocers and liquor storeowners also oppose deposit laws, and in recent years, waste haulers and owners of materials recovery facilities who want the revenue from valuable aluminum cans have joined the opposition.
They know that there is a cost to the disposal, recycling and cleanup of littered beverage bottles and cans, and they don't want to be saddled with it. They would rather have government and taxpayers pick up the tab.
However, this is not the story they tell in committee rooms or to the press; instead, they paint a picture of community-mindedness, purporting to be in favor of "comprehensive recycling," and maintaining food safety and sanitation.
Enter Keep America Beautiful. Though their name paints a rosy picture of environmentalism, Keep America Beautiful (KAB) promotes landfilling and incineration of waste, and refuses to accept bottle bills as a viable method of litter reduction. Why? Because KAB was founded by the very industries that find bottle bills a threat! Learn more about KAB below.
- Keep America Beautiful: A history - circa 2007
- Keep America Beautiful: A commentary - circa 2007
Partial list of Bottle Bill Opponents
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Anheuser Busch The Coca Cola Company Distilled Spirits Council of the United States Food Marketing Institute International Bottled Water Association |
National Beer and Wholesalers Association National Food Processors Association National Grocers Association American Beverage Association Pepsi-Cola Company |