Activists push for game-changing legislation that could dramatically clean up our communities: 'Cut the amount of trash in half'

Anti–plastic waste activists in the Washington, D.C., region are pushing lawmakers to enact legislation that would allow people to return plastic bottles and other containers for a cash deposit.

Deposit programs, which already exist in 10 states, are one of the most effective methods of reducing plastic pollution, the activists say.

"I don't think there's any other program in existence that reduces litter more than a deposit system," said Martha Ainsworth, chair of the Maryland Sierra Club Zero Waste Team, per the Washington Post.

The specific rules for the deposit programs in other states vary, but people typically get 5 or 10 cents per bottle. This prevents a huge number of bottles from being thrown away or, even worse, littered. "This would get so much more out of the river than you could do on a cleanup," Ainsworth said. "We can't recycle what we can't get back."

According to data analyzed by the Container Recycling Institute, only 23% of the 5.2 billion beverage containers sold every year in Maryland are currently getting recycled, per the Post.

Despite calls from activists, more and more single-use plastic bottles are being produced all the time. The bottled water industry alone — not even taking into account sodas and other drinks — generated 600 billion plastic bottles in 2021, CNN reported. The vast majority were not recycled. More than 1 million plastic bottles are sold every minute around the world, and sales are expected to double by 2030, the news outlet noted.  

For the D.C.-based activists, the ubiquity of plastic bottles is driving their work. "If we stop plastic bottles, we could cut the amount of trash in half," Trey Sherard of the nonprofit Anacostia Riverkeeper told the Washington Post.

No bill has been introduced this year, but the Return, Refund and Recycle Coalition for D.C. said in a statement that it "is continuing to build our coalition, review model bill language, and conduct educational meetings with Councilmembers and their staff."

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