Deposit legislation

The nine states that have enacted such laws were led by Oregon in 1972. Massachusetts and New York were the last two states to pass forced deposit legislation in 1983. Environmental groups and industry leaders continue to encourage other states to look beyond the narrow scope of regulating just beverage containers and to look at the entire soHd waste issue. 

In nearly every session of the U.S. Congress, a national deposit bill is introduced (a proposal to institute a nationwide deposit on containers for carbonated soft drinks and beer). Invariable, it seems, the bill never makes it out of committee. What are some of the pros and cons about deposit legislation What is your position Why ... 

TABLE 8.3 Bottle Deposit Legislation in the United States ... 

From a recycling perspective, the most significant aspect of bottle deposit legislation is that, in most cases, the financial incentive provided does an excellent job of getting people to return their empty plastic bottles to appropriate places. Recycling rates for covered con-... 

White, L., Extended Producer Responsibility Container Deposit Legislation Report, Zero Waste New Zealand Trust, Auckland, New Zealand, Sept. 2002, http //www.zerowaste.co.nz/as-sets/Reports/Beveragecontaina-s.pdf. 

The existence of bottle deposit legislation continues to be an important factor in PET recycling. It was estimated that, in 1997, 54% of the PET soft drink bottles recycled came from bottle-bill states, while these states accounted for only 29% of the population. Recycling rates for soft drink bottles in deposit states range from 76 to 90%. It should be noted that the low end represents California, which has a bottle refund system rather than a true deposit. The monetary incentive in California is lower than in true deposit states, and the refund system is less convenient. 

TABLE 12.2 States with Bottle Deposit Legislation ... 

Recycling rates for custom PET bottles are considerably lower than rates for soft drink bottles. Some custom bottles for beverages such as fruit juice and drinking water are covered by the expanded deposit legislation in Maine and in CaUfomia. PET beer bottles are covered by deposits in aU deposit states. However, non-beverage containers such as peanut butter jars and shampoo bottles are not covered by deposits anywhere in the U.S.A. 

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