ons per day (Prichard 8A). That is a lot of recycled cans and bottles that did not have to see the landfill. The same law was placed in Vermont and Connecticut. These two states also showed amazing results. The litter in Vermont was reduced by thirty-five percent and in Connecticut the litter in parks was reduced by fifty percent (Prichard 8A). Laws on beverage containers alone will not solve our trash problems. We need recycling programs for old batteries, used motor oil, paper, plastics, metals, and glass. According to environmental groups and government agencies, if bottle laws were in effect in all states: litter could be reduced to thirty-five percent, energy savings in one year could equal the electricity used by a city the size of Milwaukee for four years, and taxpayers could save thirty million dollars a year (Prichard 8A). It is a fact, bottle laws work. Just go to a state without a bottle law and then go to one with a law, the difference is amazing. In a survey by USA TODAY, most consumers in those states say they do not mind carting cans and bottles back to the stores in return for cleaner roads and parks (Prichard 8A). Recycling helps reduce landfills, clean up the environment, and it also takes those recycled goods to produce new products. Plastic, the one time enemy of many environmental groups, because of its long lasting, non-biodegradable nature, may actually be a friend after all (Lipkin 49). Plastic companies are now trying to devise new uses for old plastics and developing biodegradable ones. Plastic containers like milk jugs and soda bottles, are being reprocesses and added to fiberfill linings in ski jackets, pillows, sleeping bags, and even automobile seats (Lipkin 49). Another company trying to make a difference is the Hammer’s Plastic Recycling Corporation of Iowa Falls, Iowa. They are recycling hard plastics into new products such as boat piers, park benches, pipe racks, wheel chocks, and even speed bumps...
