There are many ways to increase beverage container recycling. One way is to provide the public with an incentive to return their containers in the form of a deposit. With a cash value on each container, consumers have an incentive to return their containers for the redemption value regardless of where they are when they finish it. The ten states with container deposits are recycling more bottles and cans than the other 40 states combined and account for over 90% of the container recycling that occurs.
Glass and other materials collected through deposit systems, unlike those collected through curbside recycling programs, are of a higher quality, and thus more marketable. The amount of the deposit also has an impact on the recovery rate. Michigan, the only state with a 10 cent deposit, also has the highest recovery rate, 95%.
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