YES Give people a reason to recycle! BY MICHELLE GREENE ottle bills are a great idea, and more states should have them. Why? Research shows that these laws get more people to B recycle and getting more people to recycle is imperative. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, only 32 percent of all the waste produced in the U.S. recycled or composted.* Thirty two percent! Just think how much less waste would end up in landfills if more people recycled. Bottle Bills Work As I said, bottle bills are effective. According to the Container Recycling Institute, 60 percent of beverage containers get recycled in the states with bottle bills. In the states that do not have bottle bills, recycling rates are only about 24 percent. Clearly, giving people money encourages them to recycle. And there's another benefit to bottle bills: They cut down on litter. A 2019 study of trash along coastlines (where a lot of trash eventually ends up) found that in states without bottle bills, bottles and cans accounted for about 18 percent of all litter.** In states ZERO: -WASTE- 12 Scholastic Scope - March 2021 with bottle bills, bottles and cans accounted for less than 9 percent of all litter. That's a really big difference. In a Perfect World The fact is, there are many benefits to recycling beyond reducing the amount of waste sent to landfills. Recycling saves energy and reduces pollution. It even creates jobs. A 2016 EPA report found that recycling accounted for nearly 700,000 jobs! The more we recycle, the cleaner and better off our communities and our planet-will be. Now, some people believe we shouldn't need a reward for doing things that help the environment. And I agree_ In a perfect world, we would all recycle simply because it's the right thing to do. But we don't live in a perfect world. So why not provide an extra incentive for people to recycle? What matters is that we all recycle as much as possible. The reason we do it is less important. Helping Communities Here's something else to consider: Bottle bills help communities. For example, in Connecticut, people can donate bottles and cans to a group called "Cans for Kids." The group returns the recyclables and donates most of the money it ge to the Connecticut Children's Medical Center, S the group has donated more than $500,000. Helping others while also helping our environment seems like a win-win to me.. Environmental Protection Aga **Clean Virginia Waterways of Longwood​