Recycling measure would add 5-cent deposit to some drinks

CARSON CITY -- Collecting litter might become a profitable business in Nevada under a bill discussed Tuesday by an Assembly panel.

Assemblyman James Ohrenschall, D-Las Vegas, told the Assembly Committee on Natural Resources, Agriculture and Mining that Assembly Bill 429 would help cut down on trash he sees piled up in the desert and would be an incentive the state needs to begin taking recycling seriously.

The bill would add a 5-cent deposit to fizzy drinks and beer and might be extended to include energy drinks and noncarbonated water.

Ohrenschall outlined a program that mimics those in 10 other states: Consumers pay the 5-cent deposit at the time of purchase and get the money back when they return the empty containers.

Money from unredeemed deposits would go toward environmental education. Ohrenschall said California averages around $120 million in unclaimed deposits a year.

Committee member John Ellison, R-Elko, and Lea Tauchen, who represents the Nevada Association of Retailers, said the bill would be a considerable burden for mom-and-pop stores, which would have to find a place to store the recyclables.

Lesley Pittman, who spoke on behalf of brewer Miller-Coors, questioned whether the bill was more about raising money for the state general fund or improving recycling rates. If the goal is the latter, Pittman said, recycling programs that allow citizens to place all their recyclables in one place are more effective.

Committee members considered questions of fraud and whether people from neighboring states would bring in containers from nondeposit neighbors to cash in. Of Nevada's neighbors, California and Oregon require deposits on beverage containers.

No action was taken on the bill.