Case study of
#00089 Deposit return schemes (bottle bills) on beverage containers
New York State, USA
#00101
SuccessRegion
Implementer
New York State
Timeline
Since Jan 1, 2009
Location
New York State, USA43.1562, -75.8450
Description
New York's Returnable Container Act originally covered carbonated beverages. The 2009 'Bigger Better Bottle Bill' expanded the deposit to bottled water (PET containers). Roadside litter composition data showed plastic-bottle litter — which had been a growing share of roadside litter (roughly 7.0–8.4% of litter by item count, 2004–2008) — dropped sharply once deposits applied to those containers.
Metrics
1Plastic bottle share of roadside litter7.0–8.4% (2004–2008)sharp decline by 2010% of litter items
Lessons learned
- Extending an existing deposit scheme to a new container type (PET water bottles) measurably cut litter of that specific item within one year of expansion.
- Targeted expansion to a rising litter category is more tractable than a full-scheme redesign: existing infrastructure (retailers, redemption centres) can absorb new container types with relatively low friction.
Sources
2Documented Jun 26, 2026