Q: Why doesn’t Georgia have a container (bottles/cans) deposit program like some other states that give up to 15 cents for returned containers?
—Steve Ross, Dahlonega
A: Container deposit laws, or bottle bills, became a way in the 1970s and 1980s for some states to keep recyclable materials like glass, aluminum and plastic out of landfills.
Consumers still pay between 2 and 15 cents extra per beverage container and have the money returned if they return the bottle to the retailer in 10 states and Guam.
With the advent of communitywide recycling, however, most states have found it more practical for consumers and retailers if bottles are collected at the curb or recycling centers, rather than in stores, Kevin Perry, the executive director of the Georgia Beverage Association, told Q&A on the News.
Most of the existing deposit programs are in the Northeast or on the West Coast.
People older than 30 might also remember the deposit rebate retailers would pay for glass soft drink and beer bottles. Those deposits weren’t part of a state program, but because the bottles were refillable, the bottling company would reuse them.
Some groups have started to advocate for a return to refillable bottles, but those groups and the bottling industry disagree about which containers are more environmentally friendly: Refillable or one-time-use.
Q: I would like to write a letter to the Supreme Court justices regarding same-sex marriages. Can you print an address?
Claire Frahler, Atlanta
A: You can write to the Supreme Court at 1 First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20543. The phone number is 202-479-3000.
Andy Johnston wrote this column; Allison Floyd contributed. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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