Container deposit legislation

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.

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.

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 useable 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. bottling industry, including bottled water, soda, beer, grocery stores, and convenience stores, often spend large amounts of money lobbying against beverage container deposit laws. As a result of this lobbying, legislators are often biased about the nuances of implementing these unfamiliar programs and are cautious about the actual costs and benefits.

Studies show that beverage container legislation has reduced total roadside litter by between 30% and 64% in the states with bottle bills. Beverage container litter was reduced by between 69% and 84%.Container Recycling Institute Links To Various Government Studies

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%. See Senate Testimony pg 124 RECYCLING: FEDERAL PROCUREMENT AND BEVERAGE CONTAINER RECYCLING PROGRAMS

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 60% (sixty per cent) decline in reported childhood glass lacerations due to the legislative enactment of the Massachusetts bottle law.

American Journal of Public Health AJPH Abstract - The Impact of 'Bottle Bill' Legislation on the Incidence of Lacerations in Childhood. Baker, Moore, and Wise. October 1986. v. 76, no. 10

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 (redemption value varies), implemented 1987
Connecticut (5 cents), 1980
Delaware (5 cents), 1982
Hawaii (5 cents), 2005
Iowa (5 cents), 1979 (also applies to wine bottles)
Maine (5 cents), 1978 (applies to bottled water and fruit juice as well)
Massachusetts (5 cents), 1983
Michigan (10 cents), 1978 was 5 cents until the 1980's)
New York (5 cents), 1982
Oregon (5 cents), 1972
Vermont (5 cents), 1973

Germany

In Germany container deposit legislation, known in colloquial usage as Einwegpfand ("one-way" deposit), was passed in 2002, and was implemented on January 1, 2003. However, its implemetation 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. Today, there are the following container deposits in Germany:

Cans, glass and plastic bottles: 0.25 EUR
1st exception: Refillable glass bottles up to and incl. 0.5 litre: 0.08 EUR
2nd exception: Refillable glass bottles over 0.5 litre, Refillable PET bottles (regardless of volume): 0.15 EUR

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.

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:

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

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

Sweden

In Sweden, there are deposits on nearly all containers for consumption-ready beverages. 86% ^* of the aluminium cans and PET bottles affected by the deposit that are sold, are returned.

AB Svenska Returpack 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 [http://www.svenskglasatervinningab.se/ 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. ^*

The legislation regarding container deposit systems was updated ^* 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.

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

Australia

The state of South Australia has a refund of 5c per can or bottle.

External links

Iowa Bottle Bill Coalition

Environmental law Recycling

Flaskepant | Einwegpfand | Flaskepant

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