Better Bottle Bills

for cleaner, greener, more
inclusive communities

Deposit-return systems (DRS) for beverage containers — or “Bottle Bills”— allow communities to run cleaner and spend less on waste disposal. Bottle Bills can also create economic opportunities for marginalized people who want to work.

The design of bottle bill will determine how effective it is.

Using our experience and waste pickers’ expertise, NAWPA affiliates have established a set of PRINCIPLES that can make Bottle Bills work best — for everyone.

Why Bottle Bills matter

Bottle Bills legislate deposit-return systems, through which people pay a deposit when they purchase a beverage, and can return the empty container for a refund on that deposit. This creates an incentive to return the empty container for recycling.

Governments put these systems in place because they are effective at increasing recycling rates, reducing litter and diverting material from expensive landfills. Almost all Canadian provinces and 10 U.S. states have some type of Bottle Bill on the books.

Deposit-return systems have another important outcome: they create a low-barrier income source for people in our communities who work as waste pickers.

Waste pickers are vital to recycling success

Many consumers don’t want to redeem their containers. Some can’t even be bothered to find a bin, instead their empty containers along roadways and waterways, in parks and parking lots.

This is where waste pickers come in.

Waste pickers — whether they call themselves canners, binners, diverters, valoristes or something else — collect beverage containers to earn income. They are prolific recyclers, cleaning communities and diverting tonnes of material from landfills and waterways. They ensure the highest recycling rates possible because they are responsible for collecting large quantities of beverage containers consumed out-of-home.

Unpaid but invaluable labor

Both formal recyclers and the beverage industry profit from the unpaid labor of waste pickers, since these informal workers gather, sort and return valuable materials to the recycling system. Even if they remove cans and bottles from bins, they improve recycling outcomes, since material that gets sorted and processed through a depot is more likely to be recycled, while mixed waste from curbside pick-up may never be recycled.

Recycling policies should reward, not hinder, their work.

Principles for a Better Bottle Bill

1. Higher deposit/refund amounts improve recycling rates. NAWPA recommends 10 cents as a minimum.

Bottle deposits reflect both the material and societal value of recycling beverage containers. The higher the deposit and refund, the better the incentive to recycle. In 2025, jurisdictions with the highest recycling rates (above 85%) — places like Oregon, Alberta and Michigan—all have at least a 10-cent refundable deposit.

2. Deposit-return systems should be a form of extended producer responsibility (EPR).

The companies that profit from selling beverages in non-refillable packaging should be responsible for funding the processing and recycling of that packaging. If a per-container fee is charged back to the consumer, this cost should be transparent and separate — not included as part of the deposit — with producers able to show how the fee is used.

3. Handling fees must cover the real costs of receiving and processing materials.

Handling fees paid to those who redeem recyclables (such as depots and social enterprises) need to fund the true costs of receiving, processing, storing and transporting material. Since these costs vary and will invariably increase over time, a good Bottle Bill will stipulate a method for setting and regularly revising the handling fee so that the system:

remains financially viable
sustains a healthy recycling network (see Principle 4), and
provides decent, formal work for those who operate the system.

4. Handling fees should be available to all entities that receive and process containers for recycling, including depots run by waste picker organizations.

Deposit-return systems with good handling fee policies create a vibrant recycling landscape that includes retailers, for-profit depots and not-for-profit depots.

Return-to-retailer only systems, while convenient for consumers, have challenges. Many retailers lack the space and expertise to receive, sort and store a large quantity of containers. Recycling depots, on the other hand, are purpose-built for this — and they create good, low-barrier jobs in communities.

Social enterprises have proven successful at operating depots. Some employ waste pickers who have been engaged in informal recycling for years. They have gained tremendous expertise in recyclable materials and local regulations. Examples include Sure We Can in New York City, The People’s Depot in Portland, Oregon and Cooperative les Valoristes in Montreal.

Learn about these depots, their achievements and challenges: The Other 3 Rs: Recognize, Respect and Reward

Since waste pickers play a vital role in collecting large quantities of beverage containers, their organizations should be eligible for handling fees and able to get a permit. In Montreal, Cooperative les Valoristes fought for 10 years to access the handling fee under Quebec’s system, although they were doing the important work of accepting containers for recycling (previously, only retailers received the handling fee). Now, the Cooperative receives the handling fee, allowing them to open for more hours, process larger amounts of recyclables, and provide decent work for 7 people, including 5 valoristes.

5. Everyone should be able to redeem containers, with access to venues that have no limits on how many containers can be redeemed.

A good Bottle Bill makes recycling easy for everyone. Sites where people can return containers should be plentiful and accessible. Lower-income households, as well as those who live in rural and remote areas, are disadvantaged if they have to travel great distances, especially where public transportation is lacking.

Accessibility also refers to refunds: marginalized individuals often don’t have bank accounts or access to digital refund systems, so cash refunds are critical.

To earn their income, it is essential that waste pickers can redeem significant quantities at a time; the system must give them access to venues with no limits on the volume of containers redeemed.

6. Funds from unredeemed deposits should go back into the system to improve outcomes for recycling and for those whose work diverts so much waste.

Millions of dollars worth of deposits are never redeemed. Legislation should require these funds to strengthen recycling programs to ensure more waste is diverted, and to fund programs for the informal recyclers who help make the systems effective.

Waste pickers provide an essential service with broad-reaching benefits for local governments, industry players, the public and the environment. Waste pickers need better access to materials and deposits and handling fees that keep up with inflation. They also require better compensation through formal pathways to work.

Bottle Bills can make the world better - for everyone!

As we move away from wasting our world, NAWPA believes that a just transition for waste pickers, whose livelihoods have long relied on this income, requires the creation of decent work offering benefits and dignity.