The Oregon Bottle Bill of 1971 was the first container deposit legislation passed in the United States. It requires carbonated soft drink and beer containers sold in Oregon to be returnable with a minimum refund value. The law is credited with reducing litter and increasing container recycling. As a result of the law, items which used to make up around 40% of roadside litter now represent about 6%. But with return rates averaging 90%, its real benefit is in waste reduction and resource conservation, particularly for aluminum. By comparison, states without similar bills recycle on average 40% of their containers.
Beverage distributors retain all deposits not reclaimed by consumers.
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