July 2000- We have a busy summer ahead. The last session of the Kentucky General Assembly changed the law so that it is no longer in violation of the ethics law for a private firm or a non profit private firm to make a contribution to the adopt a highway program or to the natural resources cabinet for the purposes of supporting a litter cleanup program. Our businesses and industries need to step up and support this now and provide some funds for the adopt a highway program. We will be urging our member firms to do this. It is important that we do so.

Also, we note in this issue of the newsletter that the Southern Appalachian Recycling program has just concluded one very successful program promoting recycling among school children. And, they are about to expand that program. Another one that BIRP and our member firms will want to support. This support is vital to show that our volunteers throughout the state are up to the task of cleaning up litter along our highways. And, that will be an important point for us to be able to make in the next session of the general assembly. Especially so since Rep. Stumbo has pre-filed two more bottle bills.

In addition, we will be working to support other volunteer efforts by working to get additional curbside collection programs started…promoting recycling efforts through the use of the NSDA match funds program, and in general taking a leadership position in all the volunteer efforts throughout the state.

BIRP and the member firms who support this effort have made a pro- active effort to help keep Kentucky clean and to promote recycling. And, it has been successful. Unfortunately, too many people confuse illegal dumping and mandatory garbage collection as part and parcel of the same problem, namely, litter. And, we must continue to point out that we have a strong recycling infrastructure in place in Kentucky. People are bringing recyclable materials to processing centers. Every county has either a buy back, or drop off center, and many have programs to provide for pick ups at apartment complexes, and curbside collection programs. Thus, recycling is a well established business in Kentucky. Unfortunately, too many people are confused by the talk of illegal dumps, mandated garbage collection, recycling, litter cleanup and have not taken the time to carefully look at each of these items as separate problems. We also have established litter programs, and while our main purpose is to promote recycling, we are concerned with litter, and do support cleanup efforts. This we will continue to do.

And, BIRP will continue working with our coalition members throughout the summer months as we fine tune our programs so that we supplement each others efforts. In this way, we will keep ourselves strong, and be able to oppose effectively the imposition of any inconvenient and unworkable proposals such as bottle bills which levy heavy taxes on Kentuckians as the solution to a problem that is not that great. If it had been such a high priority, certainly the Kentucky General Assembly would have dedicated funds to this program, and in the present budget, they did not. We look for your continued support of BIRP recognizing that it was the efforts of this organization that made our coalition against the bottle bill possible.