| With a variety of efforts, the infrastructure for recovering beverage containers has been well developed. This study investigated the major factors that affected recycling activities during the span of 1989 to 2002.; Bottle collection methods and bottle deposit rates are the main areas of interest. Mandatory bottle deposit laws and curbside collection programs are two major ways to collect for recycling. Currently nine states have bottle deposit laws and California has a redemption system. Deposit amounts vary by state: 2.5 cents, 5 cents and 10 cents. Alternatively, curbside recycling programs are found in most U.S. states.; This study focused on the two main aspects: recycling and bottle deposit systems. First, the relationship between the recycling rate and various socioeconomic variables was examined. Second, the effect of different deposit rates was investigated.; Using multiple regression analysis, this study found that: Waste generation per person shows the highest correlation with recycling activity. The 5 cent system is more associated with high recycling rates among the three deposit rates. And bottle deposit systems contribute to recycling efforts more than curbside programs. |
