This newsletter was originally published in July 2023
In each issue, Bottle Bill Common Ground will explain a single principle or practice for a meaningful, modern DRS. We will cover topics such as ease of use for consumers, production standards for industry, and compliance and enforcement measures for government.
By following this roadmap, states can achieve major environmental and economic benefits
We are now focused on 10 essential practices — requirements on how to build, run, and maintain a modern deposit return system (DRS) for beverage containers. The second essential practice is: Point of return
Practice #2: Point of return
Point of return requirements ensure consumers have easy, equitable
access for returning containers and redeeming deposits. A retail-focused return approach consistently shows 90% return rates compared with 76% for return to depot or redemption centres. Retail return can also generate increased foot tra ffic for smaller stores, encouraging their
participation.
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A Guide to Modern Deposit Return Systems: 10 Essential Practices
10 key requirements for successful implementation of a DRS to serve as a roadmap for policymakers, advocates, and producers seeking the best public policy solutions.
Returning empty beverage containers for a deposit refund should be as easy as a routine grocery shopping trip. Point-of-return requirements in bottle bill legislation ensure a consumer-friendly collection network, which also drives up return rates for containers.
What factors contribute to easier access and an improved customer experience? First and foremost, a strong network of redemption points that:
- Are sufficient in number in a set of geographic areas
- Deliver a consistent, easy, clean, and safe customer experience
- Are as easy to access as going shopping
- Cater to both low- and high-volume redeemers
- Guarantee cash refunds, alongside other options (e.g., EFTs, vouchers)
- Are technology-led.
To be truly accessible, a DRS must also prioritise ease of access and usability for those living in rural areas, individuals who don’t own automobiles or modern mobile phones, persons with disabilities, low-income individuals, and historically marginalised communities that have faced access barriers and/or have endured previous institutional discrimination in program and service delivery.
In the Reimagining the Bottle Bill impact study, Reloop found that to achieve system accessibility and equity in Northeast DRS states, the distance to a redemption point should not exceed:
- Five miles in low population density rural areas
- Two miles in high density urban and suburban areas
- A half-mile in ultra-dense New York City.
Highly accessible systems consistently recover and recycle the highest amounts of material.
International experience also shows that return-to-retail (R2R) systems — where retailers selling beverages become legally responsible for accepting empty containers for recycling — generate the highest return rates. According to Reloop analysis, R2R models consistently show higher median return rates (87%) than return-to-depot or hybrid redemption models (71%).
R2R systems allow consumers to return their containers when they do their shopping or, if they are consuming their beverage outside of the home, to the nearest convenient location, which may be a shop or other local hub. These systems require no extra trips or additional travel time to return containers, which removes the barrier of “going out of your way” to recycle.
Case Study: Germany
In Germany, retailers are required to take back empty containers, but only those of the type that they sell. For example, a retailer that only sells PET bottles must accept all PET bottles regardless of their size or brand, but is not obliged to take back aluminium or glass containers. Small retailers (with a floor area of less than 2,150 square feet) only need to take back empty containers of the beverages they sell, with no limit.
There are approximately 130,000 redemption locations in Germany, yielding a ratio of one return point for every 640 residents. Germany’s return rate in 2021 was 98%, the highest in Europe
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Issue #11:
Meaningful targets and penalties
Issue #13:
Compliance and official reporting
