Do you think that having a deposit on soda/beer cans will get more people to recycle?

Question

I live in Oregon, and we have a 5 Cent refund when you return them to the store. That goes for glass, plastic and cans. I think if more states had this type of program, more soda/ beer containers would be recycled. There are no cans or bottles lying beside the road either, makes for a cleaner environment as well. You do pay the extra 5 cents when you buy the cans but you get it back. Why don't more states have this?

Answer 1

I've lived in many states throughout the U.S. and the only way to really push people to recycle is if they know they will get money back by doing so. They won't know/ nor care if they have to pay more for it, but they will certainly get their money back when they do. It is the best idea for recycling and I personally think it should be mandatory nation wide instead of state wide. Bottles should be 10 cents a bottle and 5 cents per can. It's like putting your loose change in a jar, but a much better payoff for the environment. It really will make people be forced to not be negligent or lazy.

Answer 2

According to 2004 U.S. Census Bureau statistics, approximately 30% of the U.S. population currently reside in states or territories with existing container deposit laws:

California (5 cents; 10 cents for bottles 24 fl oz or greater), implemented in 1987 and increased 25% in 2007
Connecticut (5 cents), 1980
Delaware (5 cents), 1982
Hawaii (5 cents), 2005
Iowa (5 cents), 1979 (also applies to wine bottles)
Maine (5 cents, 15 cents for some wine bottles), 1978
Massachusetts (5 cents), 1983
Michigan (10 cents), 1978 (beer bottles were 5 cents until the 1980s)
New York (5 cents), 1982
Oregon (5 cents), 1972
Vermont (5 cents), 1973

I think that if more states had a deposit on cans and bottles we would have much more recycling done and it would be great for the environment!

Answer 3

I live in california and have been involved in recycling for 20 years. way before we had redemption or curbside.I am the recycling assistant for a city here. we just raised the California redemption value recently in the hopes more people would recycle. I see way too many bottles & cans tossed in the garbage or the street every day here. The people I see retrieving the CRVs and saving them from the landfill, cashing them in are the houseless community. I also see parents letting their kids cash them in for spending money or cashing them in for college funds etc. The biggest obstacle is the distance between redemption centers here.The other problem is that glass is heavy and not worth a whole heck of alot, weighs too much for the houseless to even think about lugging around.There is the problem of shopping centers that would rather not to have the redemption centers since it attracts of course the houseless with challenges that turn right around and buy alchohol with it and that creates another set of problems. I would love to see more recycling. We should all recycle as much as possible.It's the easiest way to renew a resource that someday will no longer be available in its raw form. It's the least we can do for future generations. If there isn't a recycling can where ever you go then throw it your car and recycle it at home!

Answer 4

I agree completely with you - more states should have a deposit. I live in Ohio and we used to have the refund. I can remember my mother taking all of her glass bottles of Pepsi to the local grocery store and then getting a receipt for them and taking the money off of her groceries. And honestly - now that she doesn't get the deposit refund, she doesn't recycle. I have tried to tell her that if she'd take her cans up to the recycling station they would give her some change, but she says it's not worth her time.

It is a frustrating situation. Recycling can be so easy and yet people will not take the extra 5 seconds to do it. You have to give people a good incentive. Thus the deposit on cans.

Perhaps we could encourage some of the children in your neighborhood to raise money by collecting cans and recycling them? Or lobby your local officials to help get a deposit back in your state if you happen to live in a state that doesn't have the deposit.

(And of course this whole conversation reminds me of the Seinfeld episode where Kramer wanted to collect all of his bottles and cans and take them to another state. haha)

Answer 5

I think this is a very good idea. Years ago, my state gave something like 2 cents on soda bottles and 5 cents on beer bottles(quart size) And since soft drink cans and beer cans are recyclable, It actujally benefits everyone.
It saves on the environment because instead of throwing them out of peoples cars, they will save them for the deposit.
Therefore,not laying on the road side. And not harmful to animals . And the prisoners won't have to pick them up....
It can also be a good learning process for little ones to learn how to count, and to put them in the special can......Hope this catches on with some government official and just make it across the board with all states.....Maybe they can finally agreee on something together! Good idea hon!

Answer 6

I am originally from New York state where there is a 5 cent deposit as well. I moved to Maryland and have wondered why there is not the same here. My best answer is that the cost to start this up for the state would be immense. States do not want to invest the money to do this when in their opinion recycling in communities does the same thing. One problem - not everyone recylces voluntarily. I want to recycle, but, there is no recycling pickup in my community. We have trash picked up twice a week, but no provisions where i live to recycle.

Answer 7

Yes I do. I also live in Oregon and find the bottle bill to do what it was intended to do, get recycling done. Unfortunately, it also provides transients with an additional source of income which is not always used for food. This may reduce petty theft crimes that would be necessary to support an alcoholism habit. I doubt that this result was part the original intent of the bottle bill, but the residual effects are obvious here.

Answer 8

I have to agree, I live in MI & our deposit is 10 cents a can/bottle......I collect them & turn themin on a regular basis. I personally think ALL states should have this as it does prevent as much litter due to empty soda & beer containers & if nothing else it gives the homeless something else to do for mooney other than beg at the local gas station(and Im not being mean here just honest)

Answer 9

A qualified yes. It will work so long as returning the cans or bottles is easy and convenient. I live in Norway and there all soft drink and beer cans and bottles carry a deposit. For cans about 25c and 1.5 litre bottles about 40c. In most supermarkets there is an automated return system (reverse vending machine) where you place your cans and bottles in a hole in the wall and get a receipt which you then take to the cashier to either use to buy things or just get the money. It works very well because it is very convenient and because the deposit is large enough to be worth getting it back.

Answer 10

The 5 cent deposit on soda cans has gotten me to work more than once. I live in Massachusetts, and I definitely think it's a good thing and it would encourage more people to recycle. I recylce everything anyway, but getting a little change with it is nice.