[2][3] The primary aim of container-deposit legislation is mitigation of the environmental impact of materials used in the creation of the containers, especially plastic.

In a 2014 dissertation, Sebastian J. Moser stated that it is not poverty that unites the "otherwise very heterogeneous group of bottle collectors, but the longing for a fixed daily structure and a task that is reminiscent of work.

[10] In addition to income, canners have stated that the activity can be a hobby, for pleasure or productivity, as well as done for the purpose of improving the environment.

In particular, he noted a sharp rise in low-wage jobs, a fall in collective bargaining in many industries and a devaluation of the welfare state model since the early 1990s as causes for the emergence of this practice.

Another factor is availability of materials, or the readiness of consumers to leave bottles and cans in places accessible by canners.

[11][12] In New York City, canners are an ethnically diverse community, with the vast majority of them living below the poverty line.