Benefits of Bottle Bills
Advocates of deposit systems have historically pointed to the environmental benefits of bottle bills including litter reduction and energy and resource conservation. In recent years they have also emphasized the waste diversion and job creation benefits of bottle bills. They further argue that bottle bills shift the costs of litter cleanup, recycling, and waste disposal from government and taxpayers to producers and consumers of beverage containers.
Bottle Bills...
Prevent litter
Beverage containers make up a large proportion of litter, and bottle bills are very effective at reducing that litter...
Promote Recycling and Reduce waste
Every bottle bill recorded has increased recycling rates of beverage containers, which means decreased waste...
Create jobs
Many tasks associated with the collection and processing of recyclable containers have created jobs in the recycling and retail industries...
Receive widespread public support
Legislators, media outlets, and the general public, have all expressed overwhelming support of bottle bills...
Encourage producer and consumer responsibility
Bottle bills shift the responsibility for cleaning up waste to beverage producers and consumers.
Provide financial incentives for recycling
The collection of a refund is a powerful motivation for returning beverage containers to be recycled...
Help the Environment
Bottle bills are an effective means to ensure that the environmental impacts of beverage containers are minimized...
Complement curbside recycling
Studies show that deposit systems in conjunction with municipal recycling programs make for very efficient recycling systems...
Produce high-quality recyclable materials
Containers collected through bottle bills are cleaner, less often broken, and more liikely to be made into new containers...
Create more opportunities to recycle
People without access to curbside recycling still have access to the benefits of bottle bills...
