Litter Reduction

Abstract

The effectiveness of the New York State Bottle Bill was examined. A multiple-time series design was used in which seven observations of the number of returnable and nonreturnable bottles and cans were taken on a highway exit and railroad tracks in New York and New Jersey every 2 weeks prior to and after the implementation of the New York State Bottle Bill (September 12, 1983). Another two observations were made 10 and 12 months later. Results indicated a significant decrease in returnable litter on the highway exit in New York as compared with New Jersey. A decrease in returnable litter was also found for the railroad tracks in New York when only deposit bottles and cans were counted. Results for nonreturnable litter indicated no significant differences. It was concluded that the New York State Bottle Bill, requiring a 5-cent deposit on most bottles and cans, was an effective strategy for decreasing the amount of returnable litter but had no effect on nonreturnable bottles and cans.