A Bottle Law: An Informal Look

Conducted observations before and after the passage of a 1983 statute that mandated the payment of a deposit of returnable soft-drink cans and bottles to investigate the effectiveness of this legislation to curb public littering. 60 observations were made: 30 in the 3-mo period preceding the statute and 30 in the same 3-mo interval 1 yr later. Approximately 47 bottles and cans were observed along a block-long path of a city park each day prior to the statute and approximately 2 each day 1 yr later. Although the desired effect was achieved by the statute, some unintended effects were also evident.