Private sector
Back to good practices
Local governmentOngoingSource reductionRecycling
Deposit return scheme in beach towns
A Coastal Municipality · Chile · 2025–
Summary
Beverage bottles bought in beach towns carry a small deposit refunded at kiosks and beach entrances; bottle litter on the shoreline dropped in the first summer.
Goal
Cut single-use beverage bottle litter at source during the tourist season.
Target group
Kiosks, beach operators and visitors.
How it was done
- 01AgreementKiosks and beach operators signed up to a deposit of a few cents per bottle.
- 02Return pointsReturn points were installed at beach entrances and kiosks.
- 03CountingWeekly shoreline counts compare bottle litter with the previous summer.
Results achieved
- Bottle litter on monitored beaches fell in the first summer.
- The scheme is being extended to two more towns.
Measurable outputs
3towns
41%fewer bottles on the shoreline
Climate relevance
A returned bottle is neither produced again from virgin plastic nor left on the shoreline, so both production emissions and the litter load fall. Keeping the shore clear also protects the dune and wetland margins that absorb wave energy.
Conditions for replication
Requires kiosks and beach operators to sign up together, so a bottle can be returned wherever it was bought, and a deposit small enough to accept but large enough to bring the bottle back. A recycling route for the returned material has to exist beforehand.
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