With all of the plastic waste choking the rivers and oceans, more and more nations are trying to find ways to reduce plastic waste in the first place, in addition to cleaning up patches of garbage. And according to Enviro30, Lithuania is the latest country to put a plastic recycling deposit scheme into effect that’s generating massive results.
A 93 Percent Recycling Rate!?
A recycling deposit scheme is not at all unusual, and it’s actually pretty common. In short, there’s a deposit price put on eligible drink containers (in this case, glass, plastic, and metal containers ranging from .1 to 3 liters in size). So when you buy the beverage, you’re paying a little extra for the container it comes in. That deposit is then returned to you when you recycle the container, and depending on how many you bring back, that could net you a serious return.
Lithuania’s system was put in place in 2016, and by the end of 2018, the nation saw a 93 percent return rate on packaging. Recyclables weren’t tossed out the window of a car, or thrown in a landfill, or exported to another country for disposal. The populace put deposited their containers for a simple incentive, a strategy that’s worked all over the world.
If It Works, It Will Grow
As more places around the world attempt to curb waste and enhance recycling efforts, simple strategies that yield big results are going to become far more common. And deposit schemes are an ideal way to be sure that citizens have a financial incentive to get their plastic, glass, and metal containers to the proper facilities.
Because while doing the right thing is important, everyone is properly motivated by getting their money back.
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