PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • June 1, 2020
June 1, 1978: A state law, commonly known as the Bottle Bill, requiring that consumers pay a deposit on all soft drink, beer, wine cooler and mineral water containers takes effect in Maine. Proponents of the Bottle Bill cited the need to reduce litter, an increasing problem because of the growing use of disposable containers in the marketplace. After a heated campaign in 1976, voters approved a referendum in support of the deposit law, 58 percent to 42 percent. The law is expanded in 1990 to include other types of beverage containers.