In the third world and perhaps depending on your income levels, all containers are refillable. we used to take Coca Coca bottles as water bottles to schools, the same for years. I think they would be usually thrown out.
Yeah you are right, this is not a new idea. In fact even in the US it used to be the norm. (ie. The Milk man making a milk delivery and you leave your old bottles out for him to collect and reuse).
The plastics era is slowly ending and being replaced by ideas that used to work fine.
