Editor, Gazette-Journal:

In 1976, Michigan passed a bottle deposit law, with very strong opposition from many sources. The $.10 deposit was on such containers as soft drink and of course others.

In studies done as follow up, it was estimated that the reduction in trash waste on the roadsides of Michigan was as high as the mid-90s percentile.

A year or so back, I wrote the new governor in Richmond, suggesting that it be considered by his administration. I was not even given the courtesy of a reply.

Placing a $.25 refundable deposit on every container sold from any store in Virginia would significantly reduce litter/trash/waste on the roadsides and in the various water bodies. The $.25 figure vs. $.10 in Michigan should be recognized, due to the serious depreciation of our buying power since 1976.

Yes, there would be a very strident effort by those who do not like the idea, and some inconvenience for merchants initially as they adopt it, but the results would be very significant, an...