How a bottle deposit program would help clean up waterways and communities throughout Maryland

 

A new study released today by the Abell Foundation and the Waterfront Partnership of Baltimore finds that beverage container deposit programs have proven to be the most effective legislative tool for reducing litter.  States with bottle deposit laws have an estimated 66 to 88 percent less beverage container litter, the study reports. 

The report was authored by the University of Maryland Environmental Finance Center, in partnership with the Center for Integrative Environmental Research and ECONorthwest. 

Click here to download the complete report.

Click here to download the condensed version found in the March 2012 Abell Report.

Beverage container deposit programs currently exist in 10 states across the county and are under consideration in several others.  These programs add a refundable deposit (generally 5 or 10 cents) to the purchase price of a beverage container.  When the consumer returns the beverage container for recycling, the deposit is returned.  The unique nature of disposable beverage containers provides the opportunity to use a market-based system to incentivize the proper handling and disposal of these items.

Litter is a universal problem with negative impacts that reach far beyond the community of origin. It not only decreases the aesthetic appeal of communities, which depresses business and local property values, but litter also travels via wind and water to pollute critical waterways and ecosystems. Traditional stormwater systems, which tend to result in high-velocity flows of rainwater, exacerbate the problem. As a result, local and state governments and communities across the country continue to invest in surveys, cleanups, and litter-reducing technologies in an attempt to reduce these negative impacts.

Litter also adversely affects tourism, and it degrades the ecology of land and water systems. But litter is costly to clean up. A 2009 Keep America Beautiful report estimated that the U.S. spends nearly $10.8 billion annually on litter cleanup and prevention alone, with state and local governments picking up 11.5 percent of the cost, or about $1.3 billion.  The City of Baltimore spends approximately $10 million per year on litter cleanup, including litter pickup in business districts ($2.3 million) and mechanical street sweeping ($3.8 million). These services are critical to residents and businesses and to maintaining a competitive hub for the city’s $3 billion tourism industry.

The report cites data from numerous studies that indicate beverage containers make up between 4.4 percent and 21 percent of the litter stream throughout the country.  The report looks at litter reduction alternatives and lessons learned from the success and failure of deposit programs around the U.S.  It concludes with recommendations for how a beverage container deposit program could work in Maryland.