Eunomia was commissioned by the King County Responsible Recycling Task Force (Washington State) to carry out a three-phase study to contribute to the development of a feasible model for a beverage container deposit system supported by an EPR scheme.
The Phase I study provided an inventory of existing container deposit systems across the world based on a set of criteria most applicable to Washington State.
Phase II looked at how a beverage container deposit system in Washington State could work as a separate, stand-alone program without a complementary EPR system.
The Phase III study assesses the impacts of implementing a beverage container deposit scheme in Washington State. In addition, it studies the impacts of an EPR system for packaging and paper products generated from consumers in the home, and considers the costs as well as the environmental, social and economic benefits of several models of DRS and/or EPR systems.
This executive summary provides an overview of the findings of each stage of the study.
