Deposit notice on a bottle sold in Continental U.S., indicating the container's deposit value in various states.

Container deposit legislation are laws passed by city, state, provincial, or national governments that require that a deposit on carbonated, water or alcoholic beverage containers be collected when the beverage is sold. When the container is returned to an authorized redemption center, or the original seller in some states, the deposit is partially or completely refunded to the consumer. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1036x664, 157 KB) Summary Photographed by Daniel Case 2006-01-25 on a bottle of Diet Mountain Dew. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1036x664, 157 KB) Summary Photographed by Daniel Case 2006-01-25 on a bottle of Diet Mountain Dew. ... For other uses, see Law (disambiguation). ... For the chemical reaction forming calcium carbonate, see carbonatation. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The word drink is primarily a verb, meaning to ingest liquids, see Drinking. ...

Deposits that are not redeemed are often used by the governmental entity involved to fund environmental programs; sometimes they are used to cover the costs of processing returned containers.

United States

In the United States, these laws are also popularly called bottle bills after the Oregon Bottle Bill, the first container deposit legislation passed in the U.S. The Oregon Bottle Bill of 1971 was the first container deposit legislation passed in the United States. ...

Governments may pass container deposit legislation for several reasons:

• to encourage recycling and complement existing curbside recycling programs;
• to specifically reduce beverage container litter along highways, in lakes and rivers, and on other public or private properties (where beverage container litter occurs, a nominal deposit provides an economic incentive to clean it up; this is in fact a significant source of income to some homeless individuals and non-profit civic organizations);
• to extend the usable lifetime of taxpayer-supported community or regional landfills, and;
• to protect children by effectively reducing the incidence of glass lacerations in childhood.

Efforts to pass container deposit legislation in the 39 states that do not have them are often politically contentious. The U.S. beverage container industry --- including both the bottlers of water, soda, beer, and the corporate owners of grocery stores, and convenience stores --- often spends large amounts of money in the United States lobbying against the introduction of both new and amended beverage container deposit legislation. This article needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ... The International Tidy Man For other meanings of litter, see Litter (disambiguation). ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Income, generally defined, is the money that is received as a result of the normal business activities of an individual or a business. ... A homeless person in Paris. ... A non-profit organization (often called non-profit org or simply non-profit or not-for-profit) can be seen as an organization that doesnt have a goal to make a profit. ... For other uses, see Beer (disambiguation). ... Corporate may refer to either A corporation, a type of legal entity, often formed to conduct business Corporate (film), a 2006 Bollywood film starring Bipasha Basu. ...

Studies show that beverage container legislation has reduced total roadside litter by between 30% and 64% in the states with bottle bills.^[1]

Studies also show that the recycling rate for beverage containers is vastly increased with a bottle bill. The US beverage container recycling rate was 39.4% in 2001. States with bottle bills recycle approximately 78% while states lacking bottle bill legislation only recycle approximately 23%.^[2]

In some states, such as California, the unredeemed bottle deposit money is put into a fund which provides grants for curbside recycling programs, clean up, and other related causes.^[3]

US States with Container Deposits

According to 2004 U.S. Census Bureau statistics, approximately 30% of the U.S. population currently reside in states or territories with existing container deposit laws:

• California (5 cents; 10 cents for bottles 24 fl oz or greater), implemented in 1987 and increased 25% in 2007; listed on containers as "Cash Return Value" or "CRV"
• Connecticut (5 cents), 1980
• Delaware (5 cents), 1982
• Hawaii (5 cents), 2005
• Iowa (5 cents), 1979 (also applies to wine bottles)
• Maine (5 cents, also applied to fruit juice and bottled water; 15 cents for some wine bottles), 1978
• Massachusetts (5 cents), 1983
• Michigan (10 cents), 1978 (beer bottles were 5 cents until the 1980s)
• New York (5 cents), 1982
• Oregon (5 cents), 1972
• Vermont (5 cents; 15 cents for most liquor bottles as of 1990), 1973

Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Largest metro area Greater Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... Official language(s) English Capital Hartford Largest city Bridgeport[3] Largest metro area Hartford Metro Area[2] Area  Ranked 48th  - Total 5,543[4] sq mi (14,356 km²)  - Width 70 miles (113 km)  - Length 110 miles (177 km)  - % water 12. ... This article is about the U.S. State of Delaware. ... Official language(s) English, Hawaiian Capital Honolulu Largest city Honolulu Area  Ranked 43rd  - Total 10,931 sq mi (29,311 km²)  - Width n/a miles (n/a km)  - Length 1,522 miles (2,450 km)  - % water 41. ... Official language(s) English Capital Des Moines Largest city Des Moines Area  Ranked 26th  - Total 56,272 sq mi (145,743 km²)  - Width 310 miles (500 km)  - Length 199 miles (320 km)  - % water 0. ... For other uses, see Wine (disambiguation). ... Official language(s) None (English and French de facto) Capital Augusta Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 39th  - Total 33,414 sq mi (86,542 km²)  - Width 210 miles (338 km)  - Length 320 miles (515 km)  - % water 13. ... A 1. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... Official language(s) None (English, de-facto) Capital Lansing Largest city Detroit Largest metro area Metro Detroit Area  Ranked 11th  - Total 97,990 sq mi (253,793 km²)  - Width 239 miles (385 km)  - Length 491 miles (790 km)  - % water 41. ... This article is about the state. ... Official language(s) (none)[1] Capital Salem Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 9th  - Total 98,466 sq mi (255,026 km²)  - Width 260 miles (420 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 2. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ...

Public safety

A study published within the October 1986 edition of the American Journal of Public Health demonstrated the effectiveness of Massachusetts bottle bill legislation toward reducing the incidence of glass lacerations among urban children. This research study followed Bay State efforts to enact bottle bill legislation with regard to Massachusetts children being treated for glass lacerations (before and after passage) and attributed a sixty per cent decline in reported childhood glass lacerations due to the legislative enactment of the Massachusetts bottle law. The American Journal of Public Health (AJPH) is a peer reviewed monthly journal of the American Public Health Association (APHA). ...

American Journal of Public Health^[4] Baker, Moore, and Wise. October 1986. v. 76, no. 10

See also

• Oregon Bottle Bill

The Oregon Bottle Bill of 1971 was the first container deposit legislation passed in the United States. ...

Canada

Many provinces in Canada have deposit refund systems in place for alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage containers: glass, plastic, and tetrapak containers have deposit requirements in various provinces. Deposits range from 5¢ to 40¢ per unit.

Ontario's system of deposit refunds for beer bottles, through the provincial government,^[5] has close to a 98% return rate. The bottles can be cleaned and reused 15 to 20 times. Effective February 5, 2007, Ontario's container deposit applies to wine, spirit and beer containers.^[6] is the 36th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ...

Germany

In Germany container deposit legislation, known in colloquial usage as Einwegpfand (single-use deposit), was passed in 2002, and was implemented on January 1, 2003. However, its implementation was fought by lobbying groups of German bottling industry and retailers. This fight also included trials at the Federal Administrative Court of Germany and the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany, but all trials were won by the German federal government. The deposit legislation does not cover containers for Fruit Juice, Wine, Spirits/Liquors and certain dietary drinks. is the 1st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... An advocacy group, interest group or lobbying group is a group, however loosely or tightly organized, doing advocacy: those determined to encourage or prevent changes in public policy without trying to be elected. ... A drawing of a self-service store Retailing consists of the sale of goods/merchandise for personal or household consumption either from a fixed location such as a department store or kiosk, or away from a fixed location and related subordinated services (Definition of the WTO (last page). ... In legal parlance, a trial is an event in which parties to a dispute present information (in the form of evidence) in a formal setting, usually a court, before a judge, jury, or other designated finder of fact, in order to achieve a resolution to their dispute. ... Seat of the Federal Administrative Court of Germany: the former Reichsgericht building in Leipzig The Federal Administrative Court (Bundesverwaltungsgericht) is one of the five federal supreme courts of Germany. ... The Bundesverfassungsgericht The Federal Constitutional Court (in German: Bundesverfassungsgericht, BVerfG) is a special court established by the German constitutional document, the Grundgesetz (Basic Law). ...

The standard deposit for all single-use containers (Cans, single-use glass and plastic bottles): € 0.25 For other uses, see Euro (disambiguation). ...

The deposits for reusable bottles are not regulated by law since they are the private business of the individual beverage manufacturer and can therefore vary in rate. Nonetheless there are some standard rates that are widely used :

• glass-bottles for most beer and beer mixed drinks (usually up to 0.5 litre) : € 0.08
• Reusable glass and plastic bottles for most soft drinks (usually up to 2 litres): € 0.15
• Reusable glass bottles of a special kind and design (usually flip-top bottles for beer): between € 0.15 - € 0.50

Scandinavia

Container deposit legislation is widespread in Scandinavia. In some cases it replaced legislations which forbid the selling of some types of beverage containers, particularly aluminium beverage cans. For other uses, see Scandinavia (disambiguation). ...

Denmark

In Denmark the selling of aluminium beverage cans was forbidden between 1982 and 2002. However this regulation violated European Union law. Therefore the EU forced Denmark to replace it, and the new legislation, passed in 2002, was in fact a container deposit legislation. It established the following container deposits: European Union law is the unique legal system which operates alongside the laws of Member States of the European Union (EU). ...

• Refillable glass bottles up to and incl. 0.5 litre: 1.00 DKK
• Refillable glass bottles over 0.5 litre: 3.00 DKK
• Cans, glass and plastic bottles under 1 litre: 1.00 DKK
• Exception: Plastic bottles of 0.5 litre: 1.50 DKK
• Cans, glass and plastic bottles of 1 litre and over: 3.00 DKK

The Danish krone is the currency used in Denmark and the Danish dependency of Greenland. ...

Norway

Similarly to the situation in Denmark, the selling of aluminium beverage cans was forbidden in Norway up until the end of the 20th century. In 1999 a container deposit legislation was passed, which also abolished this regulation. Today, there are the following container deposits in Norway:

• Cans, glass and plastic bottles up to 0.5 litre: 1.00 NOK
• Cans, glass and plastic bottles over 0.5 litre: 2.50 NOK

Norsk Resirk^[7] is the non-profit system founded 3 May 1999 and co-owned by various organisations in trade and industry that handles the depositing and recycling non-refillable plastic bottles and beverage cans in Norway. The Norwegian system works in such a way that the excise tax decreases as the returns increases, meaning that for example 90 per cent returns for cans translates into a 90 per cent discount on the excise tax. This again allows drink products to be sold at lower prices. ISO 4217 Code NOK User(s) Norway Inflation 2. ... is the 123rd day of the year (124th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ...

In 2005 93% of all recyclable bottles and 80% of all drink cans in Norway returned into the deposit and recycling system. That year also saw 280 million NOK in deposits being paid for the return of 194 million cans and 49 million bottles.

Deposits on drink containers have a long history in Norway, starting with deposits on beer bottles in 1902. The deposit back then was 0,06 NOK (3,30 NOK in 2006 currency value). This deposit arrangement was later expanded to include soft drink bottles.

Up until 1 January the Vinmonopolet government wine and spirits monopoly chain had deposits on products made by the company itself, this did not include imported products. is the 1st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Vinmonopolet (Lit. ...

Today drink containers can be returned and deposits retrieved at over 9000 establishments in Norway, and there are almost 3000 deposit machines where drink containers can be exchanged for receipts that can be cashed in at the counter.

Sweden

In Sweden, there are deposits on nearly all containers for consumption-ready beverages. 86%^[8] of the aluminium cans and PET bottles affected by the deposit that are sold, are returned. Aluminum redirects here. ... Polyethylene terephthalate (aka PET, PETE or the obsolete PETP or PET-P) is a thermoplastic polymer resin of the polyester family and is used in synthetic fibers; beverage, food and other liquid containers; thermoforming applications; and engineering resins often in combination with glass fiber. ...

AB Svenska Returpack^[9] is responsible for the deposit system for aluminium cans and PET bottles. The aluminum cans have had a deposit since 1984, and PET bottles since 1994. Swedish Glass Recycling^[10] is responsible for the deposit system of glass bottles.

Until 1998, the hard alcohol and wine bottles sold at Systembolaget — the government owned alcohol retail monopoly — had a deposit as well, but due to the deregulation of the Systembolaget's suppliers, the former sole supplier V&S Group dropped the deposit on their bottles due to the restricted bottle shapes giving V&S a disadvantage compared to the competitors. The bottles could be returned and deposit refunded until early 1999 at Systembolaget.^[11] Systembolaget (colloquially known as systemet or bolaget, the literal English translation would be The System Company) is a government owned chain of liquor stores in Sweden. ... V&S Group (V&S Vin & Sprit AB) is a Swedish-government-owned producer and distributor of alcoholic beverages. ...

The legislation regarding container deposit systems was updated^[12] so that from January 1, 2006 containers from other plastics and metals, e.g. steel cans, can be included in the deposit systems. The law also makes it illegal in Sweden to sell consumption-ready beverages in containers that are not part of an authorized Swedish container deposit system, with the exception of beverages that mainly consist of dairy products or vegetable, fruit, or berry juice. is the 1st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

• Cans: 0.50 SEK
• 0.33 L glass bottle: 0.60 SEK
• 0.50 L glass bottle: 0.90 SEK
• ≤ 1 L non-refillable PET bottle: 1.00 SEK
• > 1 L non-refillable PET bottle: 2.00 SEK
• 1.5 L refillable PET bottle: 4.00 SEK

ISO 4217 Code SEK User(s) Sweden Inflation 2. ... The litre or liter (see spelling differences) is a unit of volume. ...

Finland

• Aluminum cans: 0.15 €
• 0.33 L glass bottle: 0.10 €
• Bottles of wine and liquors (returned to Alko): 0.10€
• 0.50 L refillable PET bottle: 0.20 €
• 1.50 L refillable PET bottle: 0.40 €

For other uses, see Euro (disambiguation). ... The litre or liter (see spelling differences) is a unit of volume. ... Alko is the national alcoholic beverage retailing monopoly in Finland. ...

Australia

The state of South Australia has a refund of 5 cents per can or bottle. Bottle deposit legislation has been changed since the 1970s when deposits ranged from 20c for a 30 oz bottle and 10c for a 10 oz and 6 1/2 oz bottle. With the introduction of plastic and non re-usable bottles the deposit was reduced to the current 5c (including aluminium cans). Capital Adelaide Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Marjorie Jackson-Nelson Premier Mike Rann (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 11  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product ($m)  $59,819 (5th)  - Product per capita  $38,838/person (7th) Population (End of September 2006)  - Population  1,558,200 (5th)  - Density  1. ...

A recent innovation has seen the deposit extended to paper cartons eg. flavoured milk and orange juice. The Beverage Container Act 1975 (SA) governs the levying and refund of deposits. The value of deposits and the scope of their application have been influenced by the Australian federal constitution's guarantee of free trade between the states. The defining case in this issue was the attempt to introduce a differential between re-usable and re-cyclable bottle deposits. The issue was taken to the High Court of Australia - Castlemaine Tooheys Ltd v South Australia. Castlemaine Tooheys Ltd v South Australia (1990) 169 CLR 436 is a High Court of Australia case that deals with whether a particular Act of South Australia contravenes section 92 of the Australian Constitution, which is about the freedom of interstate trade. ...

Around 600 people are employed in the recovery of bottles in South Australia. Groups such as the Scouts operate container refund depots.^[13] It is a noticeable feature of the current system that the cash amount of the refund ($0.05c) has never been increased in nearly thirty years, and those individuals who collect discarded bottles have thus never had a pay rise in that time. While there are professional collectors who collect on an arranged basis from particular venues (eg pubs and restaurants), usually operating small trucks for the job, there are also many socially marginalised collectors who forage in refuse bins etc for discarded deposit bottles; these collectors often travel by bicycle, sometimes with relatively elaborate modifications to allow them to carry the bulky loads of bottles they find.

Attempts to introduce similar legislation in other states have been thwarted by the lobbying power of the beverage industry.^[14]

External links

• Deposit System Administration
• Container Recycling Institute
• The Bottle Bill Blog
• California's Bottle Bill
• Tennessee Bottle Bill Project
• Tennessee Bottle Bill Blog
• Senator Jim Jefford's National Bottle Bill
• Iowa Bottle Bill Coalition
• Hawaii Dept of Health Bottle Deposit Law Site
• Bottle Bill Hawaii
• WV Bottle Bill
• Abstract: Congressional Research Service 93-114 ENR. “Bottle Bills and Curbside Recycling: Are They Compatible?”
• Congressional Research Service 93-114 ENR. “Bottle Bills and Curbside Recycling: Are They Compatible?”
• National Library for the Environment
• Dansk Retursystem A/S - operater of the Danish deposit and return system (in Danish and English)
• Norsk Resirk - operator of the Norwegian deposit and return system (in Norwegian and English)
• Recyclers of South Australia Inc
• Bordertown Recycling Depot
• Maryland Bottle Bill Blog

Footnotes

1. ^ Container Recycling Institute Links To Various Government Studies
2. ^ See Senate Testimony pg 124 RECYCLING: FEDERAL PROCUREMENT AND BEVERAGE CONTAINER RECYCLING PROGRAMS
3. ^ [1]
4. ^ AJPH Abstract - The Impact of 'Bottle Bill' Legislation on the Incidence of Lacerations in Childhood.
5. ^ "Beer Store"
6. ^ "Eligible Items & Return Rates"
7. ^ [2]
8. ^ [3]
9. ^ [4]
10. ^ [5]
11. ^ [6]
12. ^ [7]
13. ^ [8]
14. ^ [9]