Deposit return schemes (bottle bills) on beverage containers
#00089
Add a small refundable deposit to drink containers, repaid on return. The financial incentive drives return rates above 90% and is the best-evidenced single intervention for container litter, cutting it roughly 40–80% across many jurisdictions.
Parent issue
#00077 Drink bottles and cans are a dominant share of litter by volume
Sustainable Development Goals
Location
Description
Mechanism
A small deposit is added at purchase and refunded when the empty container is returned to a shop or redemption point (often via reverse-vending machines). This gives every container a redeemable value, so people return rather than discard them and others collect any that are dropped. Containers are also kept clean and separated, yielding high-quality recycling feedstock.
Where it fits
The dedicated economic instrument for the beverage-container facet — applicable wherever drinks are sold, and uniquely suited to this stream because the item has a clear point of sale and intrinsic material value.
Operating profile and limits
The strongest evidence base of any litter intervention: return rates routinely exceed 90% and beverage-container litter typically falls by roughly 40–80%, with total litter often dropping too. Requires return infrastructure, producer/retailer participation and a managing body; the deposit must be kept meaningful as inflation erodes it. Addresses containers specifically, not other litter streams.
Sub-issues
0Case studies
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