In the United States of America we throw away roughly 60 million plastic water bottles each day; however, this is not counting the bottles used for other multitudinous types of refreshments sold in stores. A different factor for plastic bottle use are the regions that require more usage of water due to drought or extreme heat. In South Carolina the average high temperature during the summer is 90 degrees and 68 degrees during the lowest temperature. This extreme heat creates an inevitable demand for water to stay cool and hydrated while working through the dog days of summer. The convenience of bottles has created a working world that depends upon them. Unfortunately, once used and tossed away, there is not enough thought as to where they go. They end up in streets, on the side of roads, lying in fields, or buried in already over-packed landfills. 

Plastic bottles became cheaper and easier to use by the 1960s, creating a huge skyrocket in financial gain for the drink industry. They are easy to carry and once used, they are simply tossed away. Many people don't think twice about where these bottles may end up weeks or even months after they're used. Which is why bringing to South Carolina recycling machines and bottle deposits could positively influence the community into recycling their used bottles instead of littering or adding to the landfill issue. Recycling machines and bottle deposits are not new to the United States. California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Oregon, and Vermont are the eleven states that are already actively apart of this movement.  

A popular question regarding the bottle deposit is answered by the article United States: Bottle/Container Deposits on Trip Advisors website, "Can you give an example of how a bottle deposit might be charged?
Sure. Let’s say you are in the state of Connecticut and decide to purchase a 12 pack of a carbonated beverage which is in 12 ounce aluminum cans. The package is on sale for $3.00 but in Connecticut there’s a 5 cent deposit charged per container. That 12 pack will now cost 60 cents more (12 containers * 5 cents = 60 cents). If the state you’re in also charges a sales tax on this type of product then that would also apply to the products base price. In the state of Connecticut a 6% sales tax would apply to the $3.00 base price adding 18 cents to your total. So now the total price would be: $3.00 product price + 60 cents bottle deposit + 18 cents sales tax = $3.78 total." 

This not only is economically possible, but also affordable to those who buy these items. There is also an option to get a refund for the extra price you paid, simply by driving to your local recycle machine and returning the bottles you used. The same article explains how this refund works, "How do I use the recycling machines (reverse vending machines) to get a bottle/container deposit refunded to me?
There are generally 3 types of recycling machines for the three types of materials that the containers are made of (glass, plastic, aluminum). Insert the container into the appropriate machine type. If the container is accepted you will hear it get crushed. A display on the machine will then show the appropriate total bottle/container deposit amount that you will receive. After your container is crushed you may continue by inserting the next container you have into the machine. Wait until it is accepted before inserting another. The display will continue to total the amount you will receive. When you are finished hit the button and a receipt will print. Take your receipt(s) and bring them to a cashier who will then take the receipt(s) and give you the cash for the total amount of your receipt(s)." 

Whether you're recycling to improve the environment or aesthetic of the state, or to cash in on the refund, a bottle deposite would greatly improve the quality of life within South Carolina. It would give people no matter what their current financial status is, a chance to make a little extra money while contributing to the community as a whole. 
Thank you for reading,
I have faith that we can make this happen.