Businesses selling alcohol required to recycle

A new recycling law that soon goes into effect has some businesses scrambling.
The state law, which was passed in 2005 and takes effect Jan. 1, requires all Alcohol Beverage Control permit holders to recycle their beverage containers. The legislation is intended to decrease the amount of waste being sent to landfills while also providing more glass to businesses that use it.
Scott Mouw, recycling supervisor for the state, said the law should increase the amount of glass being recycled by about 50,000 tons per year.
While everyone agrees that recycling is a good thing, the rule has caught bars, restaurants, recycling companies and haulers off-guard. Many are struggling for a solution by New Year’s Day.
Chris Nelson, general manager at Magnolia’s on Walnut Street, said the bar is getting more information and trying to come up with a plan to deal with the more than 1,000 beer bottles it tosses away every week. Those bottles will now have to be sorted by color, stored and hauled away.
Aside from states that have mandatory bottle laws, the legislation makes North Carolina the first state to mandate a certain sector to recycle, Mouw said. About 3 percent of the about 8,000 ABC permit holders across the state, and about 13 percent in Buncombe County now recycle.
The new legislation applies to all ABC permit holders that have access to recycling services. Bars and restaurants could face fines or suspension of their permits if they don’t comply with the new law.