California, USA, has turned its attention to the container deposit for alcohol, including boxed wine.
California government signed legislation on September 27 to increase a 10 cent deposit for most wine and spirit containers starting in 2024. While glass bottles seem to be easily thrown into existing recycling systems, only about 30% are currently recycled, while 70% of packaging under existing deposit plans are recycled.
However, boxed wine is more complex and consists of flexible inner packaging, rigid spout and cardboard outer packaging. Bags in bottles (BIBs) are also becoming more popular. According to Future Market Insights, the global value of the BIB market was estimated to be $2 billion in 2017 and doubled in 10 years. This packaging is not only used in economical wines, but also in high-end wine manufacturers. Because this packaging bag limits the contact between the wine and the air, the wine will last longer.
Based on the complexity of handling soft packaging, spouts and boxes, California will give the boxed wine an additional two years before adding it to the deposit plan.
