Container-deposit legislation (also known as a container-deposit scheme, deposit-refund system or scheme, deposit-return system, or bottle bill) is any law that requires the collection of a monetary deposit on beverage containers (refillable or non-refillable) at the point of sale and/or the payment of refund value to the consumers. When the container is returned to an authorized redemption center, or retailer in some jurisdictions, the deposit is partly or fully refunded to the redeemer (presumed to be the original purchaser). It is a deposit-refund system.
Governments may pass container deposit legislation for several reasons, including to encourage recycling and complement existing curbside recycling programs; to reduce energy and material usage for containers, to reduce beverage container litter along highways, in lakes and rivers, and on other public or private properties (where beverage container litter occurs, a nominal deposit provides an economic incentive to clean it up, which can be a significant source of income to some poor individuals and non-profit civic organizations); and to extend the usable lifetime of taxpayer-funded landfills.
Deposits that are not redeemed are often kept by distributors or bottlers to cover the costs of the system (including handling fees paid to retailers or redemption centers to collect, sort, and handle the containers) or are escheated to the governmental entity involved to fund environmental programs. Studies have shown that container-deposit schemes are generally very successful in practice, with return rates commonly reaching up to 90% or more.
History A & R Thwaites & Co in Dublin, Ireland, announced in 1799 the provision of artificial "soda water" and that they paid 2 shillings a dozen for returned bottles. Schweppes, who were also in the business of artificially made mineral waters, had a similar recycling policy from about 1800, without any legislation. Scottish bottled beverage companies also voluntarily introduced such a scheme to encourage the return of their bottles for reuse. In Sweden a standard system for deposits on PET bottles and aluminium cans was established by legislation in 1984.
British Columbia's legislated deposit-return system, enacted in 1970, is the oldest such program in North America.
Laws by country
Overview + Container-deposit schemes by jurisdiction Country Implementation Aluminium Glass PET Beverages Covered Driver Ref. 1977–2025 Plastic, metal and glass drinks containers. Scope varies depending on state/territory. 1990, last amended 2025 Beer and beer mixes, alcoholic beverage mixes, cider and other fermented beverages, juices and nectars, soft drinks, waters, wines and spirits Government 1986, last amended 2019 Carbonated and non-carbonated soft drinks, mineral and soda water, beer and malt beverages Government TBA All beverages except dairy-based products Government 1993 Refillable beer containers Government 2009 Carbonated soft drinks, beer and other malt drinks, in plastic, metal (aluminium, steel) and glass containers, sized up to 3.79L. Various Various Various Various Varies by province/territory. Active in Alberta, British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, New Brunswick, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, and Yukon. 2005, last amended 2020 Containers >200mL: juices, water, beer, wine, hard liquor; Containers <200mL: milk and dairy products Government amended for 2026 Currently for glass bottles; planned for all containers for alcoholic (up to 15% ABV) and nonalcoholic drinks Government 1981, last amended 2020 Beer, carbonated and uncarbonated soft drinks, energy drinks, fermented drink products (excluding wine and spirits), cider, alcoholic and non-alcoholic mixer products, mineral water, juice Industry (1922) Government (1981) 2012 Alcoholic, non-alcoholic, carbonated, and non-carbonated beverages Government 2005 Soft drinks, water, beer, cider, juice, nectars and juice concentrate, low-ethanol alcoholic beverages (≤ 6% alcohol by volume) Government TBA TBA Government 1996 (cans) / 2008 (PET) / 2012 (glass) Almost all soft drinks, water, beer, cider, long drinks, sport drinks, juice, liquor/spirits/wine sold by Alko Government or Manufacturer 2003, last amended 2024 (milk) Beer, soft drinks (carbonated and non-carbonated), water, mixed alcoholic drinks, juice in PET bottles, milk in PET bottles Manufacturer 2024 Ready-to-drink or concentrated beverages (except milk and milk-based beverages), in single-use aluminum cans and glass/plastic bottles, ranging from 0.1 litres to 3 litres in size. 1989 All ready-to-drink beverages, wine and liquor Government 2024 All beverages except dairy products Government 2001, last amended 2010 All containers between 100mL and 5L Government 2021 Unknown Government 2022 Water, mineral water, lemonade, energy drinks, tea, juices and nectars, beer, wine coolers and mixed drinks with less than 6% alcohol content Government 2016 Beer and beer cocktails, cider and perry, fruit wine and fruit-wine-based drinks, soft drinks, water, kvass, juices and nectar Government 2023 All beverages Government 2005 Beer, soft drinks, water Government 2022 Water, carbonated and non-carbonated soft drinks, ciders, beers, ready-to-drink coffee, and dilutables Manufacturer (Kosrae, Pohnpei, Yap) 1991, last amended in 2007 (except in Pohnpei) (except in Pohnpei) Unknown Government (Maharashtra) 2018, last amended 2019 Unknown Government 2018 All beverages, in plastic (PET), metal (aluminum) and glass containers, sized over 0.946L. 1991, last amended 2021 Beer, water, soft drinks; system is opt-in for fruit juice producers Government 1997, last amended 1999 Soft drinks, water, juice, alcoholic beverages, and some supplements. Government 2011 Beer and ales, mixed wine and spirits, tea and coffee-based drinks, soda, non-carbonated water, all non-alcoholic drinks Government 2025 All single-use plastic beverage containers up to 3L, metal cans of up to 1L and reusable glass bottles up to 1.5L. Government 2026 Bottled water, carbonated soft drinks, juices and nectars, energy drinks, beer, cider, and flavoured alcoholic beverages like alcopops 2023 All beverages (except milk) in single-use containers up to 3 liters Government 2007 Unknown Government 2025 Unknown Government 2022 Water, beer, juices, wine Government 1985, last amended 2003 Alcoholic drinks, such as soju and beer, carbonated soft drinks Government 1886, last amended 2022 All ready-to-drink beverages, excluding dairy Government 2026 Plastic bottles, aluminium cans and cartons up to 3 litres. Starts November 2026. 2001 All beverages in refillable containers, one-way soft drinks, beer and mineral water; not implemented Government 2022 Tea and coffee, carbonated soft drinks, energy drinks, cow milk, fruit and vegetable juices, water (sparkling and non-sparkling), sports drinks, alcoholic beverages Government Mineral water (in PET bottles), sweetened drinks (in PET bottles and cans) and alcohol drinks (in cans), in plastic (PET), metal (aluminium) and glass containers. 2027 (except in Wales) PET, aluminium and steel containers with a capacity between 150ml and 3 litres. Glass containers only in scope in Wales. Starts October 2027. Government Various Various Various Various Varies by state. Active in California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Oregon, Vermont.
Africa Kenya By 2005, the beverage industry in Kenya applied a deposit-refund system for glass bottles that had proven to be popular amongst wholesalers, retailers and consumers alike to participate in, not just in Nairobi, but throughout the country. At the time, there was a deposit of 10 Kenyan shillings on soft drink bottles, and 25 shillings on beer bottles.
South Africa Although there is no formalised deposit-return scheme for packaging or plastics in South Africa, individual companies such as Coca-Cola have implemented deposit-return schemes for their own products with success. Manufacturers introduced this system without involvement of the government around 1948. Approximately 75% of beer containers, 45% of soft drink containers, and some wine and spirits bottles participate in the scheme. South Africa was noted in 2012 as one of the few countries that included plastic bottles in its schemes. Aside from bottles, similar deposit-refund schemes exist in South Africa for batteries, cars, and tyres.
Americas
By 1998, there were voluntary deposit-refund schemes for glass containers in Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Jamaica, Mexico and Venezuela.
Canada
In 1970, British Columbia became the first Canadian province to establish a mandatory deposit-return system for soft drinks and beer containers. As of 2021, nearly all provinces and territories in Canada have followed suit; the territory of Nunavut is the only jurisdiction in Canada that has yet to implement some sort of deposit refund system. In Ontario, only containers of alcoholic beverages come with deposits, in Manitoba only beer containers participate in the deposit scheme.
Deposits range from CAD$0.05 to CAD$0.40 per unit depending on the material and size of the container and whether the container contains an alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverage.
Below is a brief summary of each program: British Columbia: While the original program covered only carbonated soft drinks and beer, the deposit legislation expanded to include any ready-to-serve beverage sold in a container that is sealed by its manufacturer (e.g. bottled water, juice, new age drinks, and alcohol). There are currently two stewardship agencies in BC that carry out deposit-refund obligations on behalf of beverage producers: Encorp Pacific (for non-alcoholic beverages, wine, spirits, some ciders and coolers, and some import beer) and Brewers Distributor Ltd. (BDL) (for domestic coolers, beers, and ciders). In 2017, BC's program recovered over 1 billion containers for an overall return-rate of 75.8%. Bottle deposit on single use beverage containers have increased to CDN $0.10 from CDN $0.05 in November 2019. As of February 2022 milk and milk substitute containers are also refundable. Alberta: All beverage containers (glass bottles, metal cans, Tetra Paks, gable-top cartons, bags-in-boxes, plastic bottles and jugs, drink pouches), including milk containers (Alberta was the first jurisdiction in North America to accept and charge a deposit on milk containers in June 2009), are charged deposits at the point of sale; 10¢ for containers 1 L or less, and 25¢ for containers larger than 1 L. Containers can be dropped off at depots and are picked up by the Alberta Beverage Container Recycling Corporation. In 2014, over 2 billion beverage containers were returned to Alberta depots for an overall return rate of 83%. Saskatchewan: Established in 1988, Saskatchewan's deposit-return program applies to all ready-to-serve beverage containers, except those for meal replacements, or dietary supplements. SARCAN began taking milk and milk substitutes on April 1, 2017. SARCAN Recycling is responsible for administering the program and operates under contract to the Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment. In fiscal 2014–2015, a total of 405.6 million beverage containers were returned to SARCAN recycling depots for an overall container return rate of 87%. Manitoba: Manitoba's program was implemented in 2010 and is limited to beer containers, which are charged a deposit of CAD$0.10 or $0.20 depending on the size. Other containers (except milk) are charged a non-refundable $0.02 per unit levy (Container Recycling Fee) and can be recycled in municipal curbside recycling programs.