Making Change at Mr. Trash Wheel’s Cash for Trash
On January 31st, 200 people braved the freezing temperatures and icy roads to join us for the inaugural Cash for Trash event- a Bottle Bill demonstration hosted by Mr. Trash Wheel himself.
Waterfront Partnership, along with our partners including the Sierra Club of Maryland, Blue Water Baltimore, and Trash Free Maryland, has been advocating for a Maryland Bottle Bill. This event simulated what a bottle bill would look like for our state while encouraging people to pick up trash in their neighborhoods! It was an energizing event that showed our community’s support for increased recycling and a Bottle Bill in Maryland.
Cash for Trash: By the Numbers
44 Volunteers
160 Participants
25,563 Bottles Collected
$2,539.30 given out
What is a Bottle Bill?
Beverage container deposit programs, also known as “bottle bills,” are a proven, highly effective policy for recovering used beverage containers and reducing litter. Ten states, covering about 90 million people, have longstanding, successful programs. They add a small deposit to the purchase price of beverage containers that is refunded to customers when the containers are returned for recycling. When empty beverage containers can be redeemed for cash, fewer are littered or likely to remain littered. Purchase the beverage, borrow the container! The refundable deposit is an incentive to return.
Why do we need a Bottle Bill?
A Bottle Bill would increase recycling and decrease litter, especially plastic pollution. About 5.5 million beverage containers are sold in Maryland annually and only 25% are captured for recycling. States that have bottle deposit programs see a dramatic increase in recycling rates, with a 2-3 times higher recycling rate on deposit containers versus non-deposit. This would help us keep plastic bottles and other beverage containers out of our waterways, where they pose a threat to human and animal health.
Like any Mr. Trash Wheel event, the vibes were high at Cash for Trash- even during a brief power outage! Our volunteers helped us collect, sort, and exchange the beverage containers that participants brought in- from their homes, local bars and restaurants, around their neighborhoods, and gathered from the woods!
Thank you to our partners who helped make this event happen:
Baltimore Community ToolBank
Bluewater Baltimore
Department of Public Works
Peabody Heights Brewery
Sierra Club Maryland
Trash Free Maryland
To learn more about how you can support a Maryland Bottle Bill, visit our website here.
