Reading this fairly. All ten deposit states are shown, not just the best ones. Their reported rates vary widely: Massachusetts is at 33%, Oregon (10¢) at 88%. Every state figure is above the 26% national non-deposit figure, but the measures and years differ, so this is not a like-for-like comparison (see below).

Different measures and years. Most state bars are calendar-year 2025 redemption rates for containers covered by each state’s deposit law; Hawaii’s is fiscal year 2024–25, and Iowa’s hatched bar is a 2022 recovery rate. The bottom two bars are 2021 U.S. recycling rates cited in CRI’s August 2026 release, and “not on deposit” includes non-deposit drinks sold inside deposit states. The bottom bars show the national gap between deposit and non-deposit containers; the state bars add context. None of this gives an Illinois-specific rate.

Connecticut rose from 65% to 92% in a year, following upgrades that included more return locations and a deposit increase from 5¢ to 10¢ in January 2024. CRI cautions that cross-border returns, claims of over-redemption by some distributors, and beverage sales that CRI estimates exceed what distributors report could all inflate the reported rate.

Iowa (hatched) is CRI’s 2022 “recovery rate,” which counts curbside and drop-off recycling as well as deposit redemptions, so it isn’t directly comparable to the redemption rates.

Sources

  • BassTurd@lemmy.worldEnglish
    2·
    4 hours ago

    I collect all of my cans with deposit and take them in bulk to a local can shed where they have places that you can donate to a charity. The processor I think gives back 3¢ per can instead of 5 but that’s how they make money and stay open. When a full bag is brought in for a charitable donation, they just give a lump sum instead of counting them.

    I do wish that I could crush the cans and still get credit because they take up so much space, but it is what it is.

  • grue@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3·
    5 hours ago

    These days, deposits ought to be more like 25¢ at least, and it ought to be in all 50 states.

    • Peppycito@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
      5·
      6 hours ago

      Ontario had one of the most efficient bottle return programs through the store that sold the beer (ambiguously named The Beer Store) The government allowed them to close any stores that they wanted and so now there isn’t a bottle return program in a vast number of communities. I have to drive 40 minutes if I want to take empties back. So they effectively raised the price of beer by ¢10/can.

      I guess the moral is, don’t take it for granted. You might get a terrible government that strives to makes things worse.

      • hendrik@palaver.p3x.deEnglish
        3·
        5 hours ago

        Wow, that’s shitty. I feel somewhat safe as a German, I mean they can turn everything to shit here. But there’s no way government interferes with beer. I’ll buy it in crates with 20 glass bottles and most breweries use some standard bottle. I can walk 5 minutes and put it into the deposit return machine of the supermarket here, or take the car and return it to any other store which sells beer crates.

  • zout@fedia.io
    2·
    5 hours ago

    I didn’t read the article, but in my country it’s because the stuff with deposits contains less contaminants than stuff that’s been in contact with other types of waste.

  • Alexstarfire@lemmy.worldEnglish
    2·
    6 hours ago

    There’s no need for the legend. Not only is it wrong, it also doesn’t give you any additional information.