GONZALES, LA (WAFB) -
Cathy Matherne, like other local
residents, pays a company to collect her recyclables.
"Anything that can be recycled,
needs to be recycled," said Matherne.
That includes cans and plastic
and glass bottles. Those items would fall into a new redeemable deposit program
if State Representative Eddie Lambert of Gonzales gets his way.
"You would pay a five cent
deposit and that would be collected at the retailers level. That money would be
deposited in an account by DEQ which would administer the program and when you
would return the bottle you would get your nickel back," said Lambert.
The proposed bill that Lambert
has tried to introduce twice before, is a concept 11 other states and
territories currently use and it's one that Chauntel Lanoux of Gonzales
supports.
"There is always the option that
it may bring prices down on different products and stuff and it's always good
to recycle. You can never have too much of something you can use to make
something else," said Lanoux.
Under a plan like Lambert's, the
five cent deposit for cans and bottles would go back to the consumer once
returned. According to Lambert, It's a program that would result in more
traffic to retailers and less trash in landfills and on the streets.
"When you put this nickel deposit
on it you're encouraging people to conserve and you're also going to create,
now their bringing this plastic back and now you've got these large qualities
of plastics that you can use and recycle," said Lambert.
In Lambert's two previous
attempts, the proposed bill never made it out of committees and on to the floor
but he's hopeful that with testimony from officials using similar programs in
other states, the third time will be the charm.
"I don't like wasting materials
that can be recycled and so we do recycle at home and I would be glad to come
in and bring in my plastics and bottles that wouldn't cost me anything," said
Matherne.
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