Tuesday, January 23, 1979
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Bottle bill enters House, Senate
University Daily Kansan
State lawmakers chose their weapons last week for a legislative duel that could determine Kansas strategy in a battle against litter.
A bottle bill, introduced simultaneously in the Kansas House and Senate by State Rep. Bob Miller, R-Wellington, and State Sen Paul Hess, R-Wichita, would require a five-cent refundable deposit on all beer and soft drink containers.
State Sen. Ron Hein, R-Toptea, countered by sponsoring a litter control bill, which would tax all retailers, manufacturers and restaurants that products that are likely to end up as litter.
BOTTLE BILL supporters, which include the League of Women Voters, Associated Students of Kansas and the lobbying committee of the KU Ecology Club, say the bottle bill will encourage recycling. Members of these groups claim that similar laws in other states have decreased litter dramatically by promoting the use of refillable bottles and recyclable cans; have saved resources and energy.
"The thrust of the bottle bill is that it's a way of helping people—through their pocketbooks—change their lifestyles to recycling," Hess said.
ASK endorsed the bottle bill last year and Hannes Zacharias, executive director of ASK, said that although the bottle bill would be supported by the legislature, it would be supported again this year.
ZACHARIAS SAID, however, that he thought the bill needed more research.
"The bill would become effective Jan. 1.
1980. By the time the legislation is passed and put on the statute books, it might be July, which would give people only six weeks to vote. That's that's one problem with the bill," he said.
Opponents of the bill, especially those in the beverage industry, say timing is not the only problem. They contend that the bottle penalizes them, but ignores other industries that contribute to the litter problem.
THE LITTLE tax proposed by Hein would raise $1.6 million annually by taxing retailers a maximum of $80 a year and requiring each retailer to purchase a year. Taxable items would include bottles and cans, newspapers, food containers, crates, tires, muffers, and other litter-tolerant goods.
"I used to be a strong supporter of the bottle bill, but I'm an opponent now, in respect to the other alternatives we have" said about sponsoring the litter control bill.
Both bills would prohibit the use of pull tabs on cans, an item that 15 other states already have prohibited. The pull tab provision of the litter control bill would become effective July 1, 1981. The rest of the bill tax would be into effect July 1, 1972.
The revenue from the tax would be used for cleaning up litter, for new litter receptacles, for anti-litter education and for recycling projects.
Most of the support for the litter tax comes from the Kansas Environmental Council, an organization of brewers, bottlers, beer distributors and grocers that was
"the bottle bill is repugnant to most business interests," Paul DeBauge, an Emporia beer distributor and member of the Kansas Environmental Council, said. She said the problem, but they don't want the answer to the problem to out them out of business."
formed a year ago to draft the litter tax proposal.
DEBUGAE SAID the Environmental Council feared that the bottle bill would result in a loss of jobs in the container industry. The agency said it would take more than once and inconvenience for consumers.
Another problem opponents of the bill predict is that of the migrating containers—those that are bought in one part of the state and redeemed in another. That would be a problem for dealers in border areas where travelers may stop at containers or leave without leaving the state.
David Sakuma, manager of the Seven-Eleven convenience store at 25th and Iowa streets, said of the bottle bill, "I imagine it might curtail business a bit, but not a lot. I think it's a good idea because musically an easy to carry myself, but I don't know how the company feels about it."
Reactions from local businessmen varied from cautious support of the bottle bill to a violent attack.
Sakumura said he thought storing the returned bottles would not be a big problem, because his store already handles many returnables.
JOIN LAWSON, vice president of personnel and administration of Laphea, Inc., a local Coors distributor, said he preferred the litter tax.
"The effect of the bottle bill would have to be estimated from states with similar legislation and, for them, it certainly hasn't been positive," he said.
The bottle bill would require a retailer to refund the deposit on any containers of funds it carries. The retailer could purchase and return the distributionist. However, Miller said, retailers could contract for a redemption center so they would not have to take back the con-
The bottle bill, which has appeared in some form in the Kansas Legislature every year since 1971, the same year Oregon passed a similar bill, has never gotten out of committee. This year, as HB3111, it has been assigned to the House Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Miller, who is chairing the scheduled hearings on the bill for tomorrow.
The Senate's bottle bill, SB 94, was assigned to the Federal and State Affairs Committee, the same committee that will vote on the litter control bill.
"The bills will be compared." Hess said. "The problem with the litter control bill is that it leaves a tax, and I don't think people in general are in the mood for tax increases. Ten percent of the tax will be used for additions to the bureau word there is bureaucracy."
Hess said that he had been polling voters in his Wichita district for several years and those favoring a bottle bill averaged between 70 and 80 percent.
"I must admit there is more organized opposition to the bill than organized support, and that it is not a bad idea."
Solbach prepares landlord-tenant repair bill
By GENE LINN
Staff Reporter
Tenants no longer would have to put up with problems such as leaky faucets and torn screens if a bill being prepared by State Rep. John Solbach, D-Lawrence, becomes
"If the tenant has, say, a broken window that the landlord won't fix, the tenant has no recourse at the present time," Solbach said yesterday.
However, he explained that under his proposal, a tenant could have the necessary repair work done and have the cost deducted from his rent.
The tenant would first pay for the repairs and then take the receipt to the treasurer of the building.
The treasurer would set up an escrow fund using one month's rent supplied by the bank.
The landlord would then have 14 days in which to protest if he felt that he should not work on the house.
If the landlord did not protest, the cost of the repairs would be deducted from the rent.
IF THE LANDLORD protested, the case would be decided in small claims court.
Nominal fees would also be taken out to pay for county administration costs and to compensate the tenant for making the repairs himself.
"The most important part of the bill".
Sobach said, "that both parties are under pressure to resolve the problem. The tenant is responsible for the repairs and the landlord needs the rent."
Repairs made under the proposed bill could cost no more than $100, or one half of the original bill.
that aren't worth taking to court," Solbach said.
"That's where the abuse is—small things
Steve Young, KU's representative to the ASK board of directors, said that he and another KU student had talked to Sobach University about a plan for a document-lent legislation about two weeks ago.
He said he was first approached about the need for a landlord-tenant bill by some KU students. After that, he said, he and Kathy Landgren, legislative director of Associated Students of Kansas, drew up the proposed bill. ASK is a student lobbying group.
YOUNG SAID that he was not familiar with Solbach's bill, but that a landlord offered to take him.
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"The revisions office should be finished with the proposal in the next couple of weeks."
Solbach said the legislative revisions office was working on the proposal. All bills go to the revisions office before they are introduced, he said.
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Recycled glass bottles benefit environment and ecology club
By LYNN BYCZYNSKI
Start Reporter
Glass recycling is not a big moneymaking business in Lawrence, but the KU Ecology Club is determined to its hudgingless recycling project alive.
"We're not doing this for the money, but to increase awareness of conservation. That glass can save energy, resources and land, if it's not just thrown in the landfill." Mike Swain, Prairie Conservation of the recycling project, said Sunday.
The glass is sold to Wallace McPherson, a Topeka scrap dealer who supplies the collection bin and transports it to and from Lawrence. McPherson sells the glass to an Oklahoma bottle manufacturer for recycling.
The bin, which holds 12,000 pounds of broken glass, was filled halfway the first two months of the project. The club earned between 440 and 680. Swartz said.
One weekend each month since November, the Ecology Club has organized a weekly meeting at the Daisy Hill parking lot west of Iowa Street. Club members, protected by goggles and heavy gloves, smash bottles and jars into a metal bin, separating the trash from the garbage.
An average of 50 contributed to the
recycling project on the first three collection weekends, far short of the thousand people that Swartz said he had expected.
Swartz said he was disappointed by the small number of students who had used the recycling center, and estimated that Lawrence residents' glass donations outnumbered students' donations four to one.
LAST WEEKEND's collection of glass was larger than the first two because four bars saved glass and Lapeka, Inc., the local Coors beer distributor, offered more bottles than the club could transport. Swartz said.
"The project can almost be successful with only the bars and Coors, but we want to get the community involved," he said.
Lapke has a surplus of bottles because the company buys them back from consumers for one cent each. Bell Kennedy, manager of Lapke, said this was done to help alleviate the litter problem. Lapke had dumped all the waste in the city landfill in north Lawrenze before the club began to collect them.
Although the buy-back policy costs Coors money, recycling the glass would be less profitable because there is no local recycling center, Kennedy said.
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