Press Release

31 May 2017 – As the problem of marine litter has steadily grown worse, there has been renewed interest in deposit return for the recovery of single-use beverage containers. Deposit return systems (DRS) are a proven tool to collect high quantities of empty beverage containers for reuse and high-quality recycling, and are vital to achieving a circular economy.

Over 130 million people in the EU alone live in countries with deposit systems. It’s also used in most Canadian provinces, 10 US states, and large portions of Australia. The most recent country to adopt a DRS was Lithuania in February 2016.

At a time when more and more jurisdictions are considering the implementation of DRS to achieve mandated recycling targets and reduce litter, CM Consulting and Reloop are pleased to announce the release of Deposit Systems for One-Way Beverage Containers: Global Overview (2016). This report provides a comprehensive summary of DRS programs in 39 countries/regions around the world, including information on program scope, deposits and fees, entities responsible for program operation, operation of the redemption system, and latest return rates. Also included for each program is a diagram showing the flow of money and containers within the system.

To download individual chapters, see below.

The report is also available in French. 

Individual Chapters

Disclaimer: This report is intended to be a living document and will be updated as new information becomes available. 

To see details of European programs, click on the EU flag. This section covers the following 10 countries: Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden.

The Canadian section of the report provides details on the deposit systems in each of the following 12 provinces: British Columbia Alberta, Manitoba, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, and the Yukon. Click the flag for pdf.

 
There are currently 10 states in the U.S. with deposit return (also known as “Bottle Bill”) programs. These include: California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Oregon, and Vermont. Click the flag for .pdf. 

Two states in Australia have established deposit return systems for one-way cans and bottles: Northern Territory and South Australia. Click the flag for .pdf 

Click on the Israel flag to download the chapter on Israel.

Three Pacific Island states have established deposit return systems, including Palau (flag to the left), Kiribati, and Kosrae (Federated States of Micronesia). Click the flag for .pdf. 

To view other reports by CM Consulting or Reloop, please visit us at:  www.cmconsultinginc.com and www.reloopplatform.eu