A new global report launched last month shows that deposit return systems (DRS), more commonly known in the U.S. as “bottle bills,” cut beverage container litter by more than 50% on average across Europe, the U.S. and Australia. That figure alone should catch the attention of state lawmakers, but it’s the cost behind the litter, and who pays for it,...

This article appeared in the February 2025 issue of Resource Recycling. Subscribe today for access to all print content. The United States is grappling with a growing recycling crisis. Despite decades of environmental campaigns and investments in recycling infrastructure, recycling rates have stagnated, with many states seeing declines. According to Ball Packaging’s latest 50 States of Recycling report, only 32% of the...

New regulations in Europe are opening opportunities for business that offer replacements for single-use packaging. And that trend could soon be growing in other areas of the world.