American consumers are throwing away a record 100 billion beverage bottles and cans a year. Litter and waste problems have prompted legislators in 15 states and Puerto Rico to propose refundable deposits on a wide range of beverages, from soft drinks and beer to the increasingly popular bottled waters, juices, teas and sport drinks. This is the conclusion drawn recently from the US Container Recycling Institute (CRI), a non-profit research and education organisation based in Arlington, Virginia. State bottle bill legislation is increasingly viewed as an effective means to curb litter and waste without raising taxes. Since consumers typically pay a refundable deposit, recycling increases at little or no cost to taxpayers, claims the CRI. During 2001 and the early part of 2002, legislation to require refundable beverage container deposits was introduced in Arkansas, Arizona, Hawaii, Illinois, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, and Puerto Rico. Legislation proposing a state referendum on beverage deposits was introduced in Kentucky and Pennsylvania. Currently, ten states and the City of Columbia, Missouri have beverage container deposit laws, popularly known as bottle bills. Deposit states include: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Oregon and Vermont. As new types of beverages have gained market share, current deposit states have shown interest in expanding the laws from carbonated soft drinks and beer to include bottled water, juices, teas and sports drinks. Maine expanded its deposit system in 1990 and California acted to expand its programme in 1999. In 2001 and 2002, legislation to expand deposit systems has been introduced in Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Oregon and Vermont. The CRI's director reports that states with deposit laws achieve average annual recycling rates of approximately 80 per cent, 2 to 3 times higher than non-deposit states. However, proposals to repeal state deposit laws have been introduced in Iowa, Massachusetts and New York in 2001 and 2002. The most serious challenge to a deposit law is in Columbia, Missouri, which has the nation's only local bottle bill ordinance. A referendum to repeal the City of Columbia's 25-year old deposit ordinance is on the April 2, 2002 ballot