[Avodah] The halakhos of ecology

[kennethgmiller at juno.com]

R' Zev Sero wrote:
> A practical example: empty drink bottles, which carry a
> 5 cent deposit. It's not worth my while to take them back
> to the shop for a refund. I can either throw them in the
> garbage, or put them out in a bag of their own, so that
> those for whom it is worth while can take them. Bal
> Tashchis would guide me to do the latter.

Oh chaval, what a shame! You have such a great example, which really highlights both sides of this issue. It could have resolved the question, but you wrote "guide" instead of "forbid" or "obligate".

It seems to me that IN THEORY we all agree about the definition of Bal Tashchis. The actual point of contention is on the definition of "worthwhile".

Sure, Bal Tashchis *guides* me towards leaving the deposit bottles in a place where others can take them. But that also requires some effort, and maybe I do not consider that amount of effort to be "worth my while". What's the bottom line? Does Bal Tashchis obligate me to save the deposit bottles for their value? OR does Bal Tashchis obligate me to conserve my energy and not go to frivolous efforts for a tiny gain?

I am not a posek, and I do not know the answer. But I suspect that the answer to this question - like many others - depends very much on the individual. Just like the definition of "muktzeh machmas chisaron kis" is highly dependent on the economics of the situation, so too here. A person who is more wealthy, or more pressed for time, should probably not waste his time and effort on the few pennies to be gotten from the deposit bottles. Another person would be wrong for wasting those pennies. Then again (going back to RZS's "guide me"), there could be strong mussar reasons for even the first person to harness the value of the bottles.

(For what it's worth, I have already written (Mail-Jewish 42:4) of my wife's psak, that on certain occasions, Bal Tashchis requires her to discard leftovers, rather than leave them in a place where I might fress on them.)

Akiva Miller

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