Last year, Monroe County recycled about 1,015 tons of plastic water and returnable soda bottles, which sounds like a lot until you consider that eight of every 10 bottles end up in a landfill. In launching the Refill Not Landfill campaign last week, County Executive Maggie Brooks urged residents to use refillable beverage containers and drink Monroe County tap water — and cut down on unnecessary waste. A homeowner pays a penny for a gallon of tap water, according to Ed Marianetti, executive director of the Monroe County Water Authority, which supplies water to much of the county. A reusable container can be refilled numerous times with tap water at much less than the cost of a single bottle, he said. “This is less expensive for you, and you’re getting clear, safe drinking water at the same time,” Brooks said. “Water is clear, it’s safe and we want people to drink it.” The campaign is modeled on similar efforts around the country. Nationwide, about 30 billion plastic bottles end up in landfills, according to Steve Silverman, general manager of Thermo Fisher Scientific. Nalge Nunc, a subsidiary of the company, manufactures Nalgene reusable containers here and is partnering with the county on the campaign. The point is not to encourage reuse of single-use plastic water bottles. The difference is in the manufacturing and the consumer can tell the difference by checking the recycling code on the bottom of a container. A single-use cont ...
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