Container-deposit legislation is any law that requires collection of a monetary deposit on soft-drink

Soft drink

A soft drink is a non-alcoholic beverage that typically contains water , a sweetener, and a flavoring agent...

, juice, milk, water, alcohol

Alcohol

In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....

ic-beverage, and/or other containers at the point of sale. When the container is returned to an authorized redemption center, or to the original seller in some jurisdictions, the deposit is partly or fully refunded to the redeemer (presumed to be the original purchaser).

Governments may pass container deposit legislation for several reasons:

• to encourage recycling and complement existing curbside recycling programs
• to specifically reduce beverage container litter
  Litter
  Litter consists of waste products such as containers, papers, wrappers or faeces which have been disposed of without consent. Litter can also be used as a verb...
  
   along highway
  Highway
  A highway is any public road. In American English, the term is common and almost always designates major roads. In British English, the term designates any road open to the public. Any interconnected set of highways can be variously referred to as a "highway system", a "highway network", or a...
  
  s, in lakes and rivers, and on other public or private properties (where beverage container litter occurs, a nominal deposit provides an economic incentive to clean it up; this is in fact a significant source of income
  Income
  Income is the consumption and savings opportunity gained by an entity within a specified time frame, which is generally expressed in monetary terms. However, for households and individuals, "income is the sum of all the wages, salaries, profits, interests payments, rents and other forms of earnings...
  
   to some poor individuals and non-profit civic organizations
• to extend the usable lifetime of taxpayer-supported community or regional landfills, and;
• to protect children by reducing the likelihood of glass lacerations.

Deposits that are not redeemed are often used (escheat

Escheat

Escheat is a common law doctrine which transfers the property of a person who dies without heirs to the crown or state. It serves to ensure that property is not left in limbo without recognised ownership...

ed) by the governmental entity involved to fund environmental programs; sometimes they are used to cover the costs of processing returned containers.
The state of South Australia

South Australia

South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...

 currently has a refund of 10 cents per can or bottle (raised from 5 cents in late 2008).