Recycling and bottled water

This is a great essay on the challenge of reconciling the environment with convenience, how policies have been created to discourage Americans from simply tossing (or littering) their 215 billion beverage containers per year.  Some highlights:

• Should states provide an incentive to recycle, often via a "bottle bill" that provides a cash return for recycling?
• If so, should the deposit be indexed to inflation?
• How do we balance convenience and cleanliness?
• What happens when scavengers simply empty curbside bins of recyclables?

 Get more on bottled water, from its environmental impacts to price mark ups, here.