Bottled Water Creating A Mess

CBS Evening News ^ | 07/05/2003

[GeneD]

(CBS) Californians are passionate about good health and good environment—-and what better symbol of both than good, clean water?

But, as CBS News Correspondent Bill Whitaker reports, the 1.5 billion gallons of bottled water guzzled up by Californians last year are doing more than just satisfying thirst: All those little bottles are creating one big mess.

Nationwide, about three million bottles of water are thrown out every day, more than one billion a year, and the mess is clogging up state landfills.

"They don’t decompose," said Doug Corcoran, of Waste Management. "They are just the way you have them in your hand 50 years from now."

Californians are some of the best recyclers in the world, but when it comes to little water bottles, only 16% get recycled. Even the body and environmentally conscious think of them as trash.

"This is becoming ubiquitous," said Darryl Yung, Director of the California Department of Conservation. "It’s as common as a cell phone in one hand, plastic bottle in the other. People don’t know that these need to be recycled and can be recycled."

Some state lawmakers want to give consumers an economic incentive to recycle by doubling the deposit from 2.5 cents to 5 cents per bottle. But the legislature, which can't agree on anything these days, may not be able to agree on this either, Correspondent Whitaker points out.

Across the state, people are either indifferent towards or confused by recycling.

"If they don’t have recycling bins all over the place, it’s not my fault I have to throw it out," said Glenn Kennedy.

"Sometimes I can’t figure it out, they say ‘plastic’ and you have to sit and think for a minute whether it’s plastic or whatever. It’s too much thinking involved," said Ella Fial.

To combat these problems, the state’s Department of Conservation is running an ad campaign that hopes to remind the people who drink to their health to recycle for the health of the environment.

©MMIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.

[The Hon. Galahad Threepwood]

"Sometimes I can’t figure it out, they say ‘plastic’ and you have to sit and think for a minute whether it’s plastic or whatever. It’s too much thinking involved," said Ella Fial.

And this person undoubtedly votes.

Hooray for democracy.

[Pan_Yans Wife]

"Sometimes I can’t figure it out, they say ‘plastic’ and you have to sit and think for a minute whether it’s plastic or whatever. It’s too much thinking involved," said Ella Fial.

Intelligence isn't for everyone.

[freedumb2003]

HAHAHAHHAHAHA

Some serious guilt I can lay on my enviro-weenie colleagues. I am building the trap now.

In the last few weeks I have come to realize that facts kiil liberals like salt kills snails. But we have to keep them out there.

[LasVegasMac]

Well....just give Gray Dim Watt a minute or so and I'm sure he'll be wanting to tax those little plastic bottles.

Bottle of water - $ 0.99. Tax - $ 4.00.

It's for the state, right? To pay for all those illegal's that need 'everything'.

LVM

[Dr. Frank fan]

In all fairness, she may have been talking about the fact that some plastic is recyclable but other plastic isn't. And you can get a bawling-out from an enviro-fascist for putting something plastic (but without the correct symbol imprinted on the bottom) into the plastic recyclables bin. I've seen it!

So I don't know if that's what she was trying to say. But I do have to admit: when recycling something I have to stop and think if it's "ok to recycle".

In fact one result of this is that half the time I just don't bother and throw it in the trash. Not worth my trouble.

[Squawk 8888]

I've burned those plastic bottles in campfires; long-lasting, almost no smoke and lots of heat. Instead of landfill, they should use the suckers as fuel for a powerplant.

[upchuck]

I've burned those plastic bottles in campfires; long-lasting, almost no smoke and lots of heat.

Yeah, just don't sit downwind of yer campfire unless ya wanna grow 3 more eyes and another ear :)

[The Hon. Galahad Threepwood]

I suppose that's true.

[Oztrich Boy]

Not likely. POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE (PET) is pretty well "mostly harmless".

The worst is HAZARDOUS COMBUSTION PRODUCTS: AT TEMPERATURES ABOVE 662 F./350 C., HEAVY FUMING, CARBON DIOXIDE AND CARBON MONOXIDE WILL OCCUR.

[M. Peach]

Did you stop and think that bottled water is more expensive than gasoline?

[Rebelbase]

In my neck of the woods, the recycling cans only get used when the garbage cans are full.

[Old Professer]

It’s too much thinking involved," said Ella Fial

Reporters live for lines like this.

[LasVegasMac]

Oh, yea. It's been that way for quite awhile. Amazing, no?

LVM

[Malsua]

I guess NJ has CA beat in recycling.

You can't throw away plastic in the trash. If the garbage man notices it(and yes, I've snuck the odd one in there), he'll remove it.

I am FORCED to recycle all glass, hard plastics like water bottles, newspapers and cardboard.

I'm not really complaining...I just make a trip to the center every saturday. If anyone has read "When I was a Kid, this was a Free Country" by G. Gordon Liddy, he basically makes the point that recycling of glass requires more energy than making new and we're definately not short on silica. But on that note, something like 42% of landfills are plugged with grass, leaves and other biomass. Another pile is disposable diapers, last figure I recall was 18%, but I can't back that up.

The rest in the landfills being trash tin cans, steel, etc.

No one wants a landfill in their neighborhood so I'm all for recycling, but CA can deal with a few billion water bottles a year without batting an eye even if most hit landfills.

As an aside, I grew up about 15 miles from Deerfield Ohio. Anyone remember the first(or one of the first) superfund cleanups? I remember as a kid unload pickup loads of junk into that thing. Worst part was that the dump was in a ravine...that Ravine was made by a creek that fed Berlin Resevoir..that fed Milton Resevoir..that made it into the Ohio River...to the Mississippi River and on down to the gulf. Probably among the worst places to EVER pollute. Heh.

[Go Gordon]

Nationwide, about three million bottles of water are thrown out every day, more than one billion a year, and the mess is clogging up state landfills.

Don't Kalifornicators re-cycle?

[liberalnot]

so, what's new?

the baby boom generation created a lotta messes that will have to be cleaned up.

while professing concern about the environment, this generation will become the richest in the history of the world. all due to inheritances and their educations and successes. no generation travels more than the boomers. no generation consumes more than the boomers.

those boomers that were not successful will depend upon generation x and y for their retirement.

bourgeoise!

[PatrioticAmerican]

"They are just the way you have them in your hand 50 years from now."

Not true. I do believe that enzymes are added to landfills that break down plastics.