Mandatory Beverage Container Recycling for Restaurants & Bars

This petition would require restaurants and bars to recycle glass, aluminum and plastic beverage containers. This is an industry that goes through hundreds of pounds of glass,aluminum and plastic, which end up in trash sites. This is incredibly irresponsible. The U.S. recycles 28% of its waste. The U.S. beverage recycling rate is only at 35%. The U.S. is the largest consumer of aluminum soft-drink and beer cans, but only recycles about 54% of aluminum cans. Glass, which saves about a ton of natural resources when a ton of glass is recycled, can be reused without any loss in purity or quality, and can reappear back on store shelves within thirty days. There are many benefits to recycling glass, such as reduction in carbon dioxide emission. However, under 30% of glass is recycled in the U.S. California has proved a leader in recycling glass, with 80% of its glass recycled. Many praise bottle bills, which give consumers financial incentives to recycle. Plastic products, which can be continuously reused for decades, yet usually only live to serve one purpose before thrown in the trash, pose the biggest problem to our environment in terms of beverage products. Not only does the reckless disposal of plastic products, usually bottles, pollute our oceans and coastlines, plastic bottles floating in the ocean can also serve as vessels for invasive species not native to certain environments. Furthermore, plastic that ends up in our landfills, can leak harmful chemicals into our soil, which can later contaminate drinking water sources. While there has been a 1.7% increase of recycled plastic bottles in 2011, the U.S. only recycles a little under 29% of plastic bottles, which is not nearly enough. Mandating restaurants and bars to recycle beverage products alone will not solve our nation's recycling problem,but it is a good start that will bring about productive changes and noticeable benefits. As a nation that prides itself on being a "leader", or "super power," its about time to start being the world's leader in energy conservation and innovation.