Returnable bottles vs. recycling

That is a very good point. The simplicity of change is often the most important element to address. In order to change people need to make something habit, understand it, it needs to be easy, it needs to be desirable, and it needs to be rewarding. If any of these is missing, any progress made is subject to failure. Do you understand the benefits of reuse over recycle? I think most people would be able to comprehend a relatively simple concept like that. Then the question is how to make it easy, though this can be surpassed if the harder choice becomes desirable or rewarding. Take your most recent trip to the bar, for example: You saw a group of ladies--you went and talked to them--you decided that the prettiest one(though also the hardest to woe) was the one your were going for because, well she was the most desirable. You chose the harder path for the bigger reward. This is the way our minds work. We have to independently operating parts of the brain (emotional and rational) which we need to be working with one another to accomplish anything.

 

Are they using the heavier/thicker true "refillable" bottles or simply refilling standard throw-aways w/pry-off crown lip? (Probably much fewer trips with the latter).

Theirs are also 12 oz. bottles, and Straub's bottles that they had to have custom made were the once Penna. standard 16 oz. "pounder" bottle. I don't know- maybe Owens-Illinois or Anchor Glass* still makes 12 oz. refillables?
* Actually, Anchor was bought recently - forget the new name.

The actual deposit was on the bottles and the heavy, water-proof reusable case. I can't remember how the PA brewers broke it down after they upped the deposit to $1.50 (after all, not a lot of singles of deposit bottles being sold back then in PA ) but when the standard deposit on a case of 24 X 12 oz. was $1, it was 2¢ a bottle and 52¢ for the shell.

 

Where in my post was I talking anything at all about plastics?

 

There are various companies that are creating refillable glass containers, at least in the PNW. It is important to the economic stability of a brewery to source these bottles locally, however, because the added weight of the thicker glass can increase the transportation costs rather significantly.

 

I apologize, I was reading from the post you quoted.

 

Ok. Not trying to be a bastard. Could not figure out the correlation.

 

MN is considering a bottle/can deposit. I think it punishes those who already recycle (single sort is sooo easy!) in order to "force" those who don't care to do so. I'm against it. There is a cost involved to the brewers (who will certainly pass it on to the consumer!).

 

US average for states that don't implement a bottle return is around 30%.
States averages for those with a bottle return is around 70%

 

single sort doesn't work...co-mingling is the worst thing to happen to recycling in history. the different colored bottle cannot be melted down together! no recycling plant on earth will do this...when we do not sort out glass it all ends up in the dump! no one is forcing...it is just giving them an incentive to be somewhat responsible with the way they think about things.

 

In Sweden we have returnable bottles (in two sizes, 11.2oz and 16.9oz) and it's pretty convenient imo. Just about every store which is larger than a kiosk will have machines for cans and bottles, in the bottle machine you can either deposit a full crate onto a conveyor belt, or individual bottles in a special slot. The only problem is that disposable bottles are becoming more popular with Swedish breweries, and the imports are per definition disposable, so the number of brands available in returnable bottles has shrunk, even in the years that I've been drinking beer. I guess the breweries want to do whatever they can to stand out on the shelf to catch the attention of the consumer at the point of purchase. The can and bottle recycling system is co-owned by the brewers' association and the retail stores' equivalent, which probably helps the system work alot smoother (and makes it more uniform and predictable) than it otherwise would, since both parties are on-board, combined with the deposit charged at the consumer end.

 

You say it doesn't work, yet crap would definitely be tossed in the trash without it. Having 4-6 different containers cluttering a kitchen/garage is a non-starter for most people. Hats off to you for doing your part.

 

Michigan's $.10 deposit has a high return, how much is due to Kramer is not known.
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/deq/dnre-whmd-sw-mibottledepositlawFAQ_318782_7.pdf

 

The old Michigan bottle scam. They said it was impossible.

 

There is also a law against it. A guy from Ohio was ticketed for having a van full of out of state bottles. The return machines will only take so many a day, and the bar codes will say if it is a MI bottle or out of state.

 

Surely you realize the colossal amount of other contributing factors that affect this rate more than some spare change, right?. Off the top of my head:

1) Is there a recycling program? Some commenters on here say they don't recycle glass in their state - that's huge
2) How easy is it to use the recycling program?
3) What's the community like? The states that have deposit programs (MA, ME, NY, CT, VT, CA, etc.) are some of the more "progressive" states and likely have residents who care more about being "green" and would recycle anyways.
4) Do the cities have readily accessible recycling receptacles on the streets? Are there recycling receptacles located in municipal buildings and other businesses?

Surely all of these are significantly more important than a nickel deposit. The only statistic that really matters when talking about deposits is this: What is the percentage of people that, but for a deposit, would otherwise throw their recyclable containers away? I'm thinking this number is fairly small...and at a nickel apiece, I'm guessing this is exceedingly small.

 

What I'm saying is that even though people think they are recycling, it still ends up in the same place as your trash if you don't do it right. Co-mingling is not the right way to do it. when we "single-sort" our recyclables, they DO NOT end up at a recycling facility

 

just more of a reason to increase the deposit amount. In michigan they average up to 97% recycle rate on bottles. is that a coincidence? or possibly something to do with the fact that their deposit is double what other states with similar programs have?

 

New Orleans is so absurd that our recycling company does not accept glass. I don't know what to do, and it kills me. There is a Whole Foods opening right in my hood in 3 weeks, so I hope they have a drop off location for glass!

 

Well yea, it doesn't take a genius to realize that the more a deposit costs, the more likely people are to return it for that deposit. I also wonder how the system in MI works - that is, how user-friendly is it compared to other places? Here, the deposit centers are usually filthy, crowded, and filled with hobos. Stores are only obligated to accept bottles that they sell. You can bring bottles back to the store, but small shops that don't have a dedicated redemption center hate it as its a big burden on them (storage, handling, etc.). Did I mention they don't have to accept bottles they don't sell? Kinda sucks in the craft world. As I've said before, I recycle all my empties but I eat the deposit as a cost of doing business. It's simply not worth my time and effort to run around collecting spare change for what, $30-$40 a year?

 

I know that Target runs a glass recycling program in MT so you might be able to find an entity down there doing something similar. It might take some effort but I'm sure there are resources out there for you!