Put a deposit on disposable drink containers, and roads, streams and lakes get cleaner. Less garbage goes into landfills. In the 10 states with refundable deposits on aluminum, plastic and glass drink containers, recycling rates for cans and bottles are higher than in other states. And in some of those places, the amount of roadside bottle litter dropped more than 70 percent after deposit laws were adopted. There is a cost, however.
Shoppers sometimes cross state lines to avoid deposit costs, meaning lost sales for some businesses.
Deposits can take money from curbside recycling programs, and can be abused by people who fraudulently redeem bottles. Add up those results and costs and it explains why a proposed bottle bill could create one of the biggest fights of the legislative session that begins Jan. 4. Rep. Greg Stumbo, D-Prestonsburg, has introduced a bill that would place refundable deposits of 5 or 10 cents on drink containers. Bottlers, grocers and restaurants strongly oppose the measure, saying it would cost them money and cost the state jobs. Industry coalitions have beaten many attempts to pass or expand bottle bills, including Stumbo's in 1998.