Beverage Container Deposit Laws

[Jimbo357mag]

I noticed the other day and remember that most beverage containers have a 5 cent deposit on them in many states. I looked it up ( http://www.ncsl.org/research/environment-and-natural-resources/state-beverage-container-laws.aspx ) and found states range from 5 - 15 cents deposit on many containers. Does your state have a deposit law and how does it work. Back in the old days as a kid we returned bottles to the retailer for 2 cents a piece and that was not bad for kid labor.

Now a days we just load recyclables into bins and set them by the road. I don't get anything but the city makes out pretty well.

 

[BlkHawk73]

5¢ each here with wine bottles being 15¢. Some juice containers too. I bag ours and once and a while, load the truck and turn them in splitting the$ with the boy. (Usually he gets the majority). $20-30 each load.

 

[Colonel Daddy]

No deposit in my part of Florida.

 

[#1rugerman]

None in Alabama.
When I was a kid before there were disposable bottles I used to pick up coke bottles for the deposit, bought many essentials with that money (BB’s, soft drinks, candy bars and if I held on to the money long enough CHERRY BOMBS)

 

[eveled]

5 cents here if carbonated. Was great in the 80's, 5 cans would buy a full size candy bar, now you need 20 to 30 cans for a candy bar. Still see people rumaging for them but don't see how it can be worth it.

Now that curbside recycling is here I wish they'd do away with the bottle bill. But they won't because the state gets the money from the cans that are not returned.

 

[wolfsong]

It's nothing more than another tax. SCAM.

 

[Bear Paw Jack]

It's nothing more than another tax. SCAM.

^^^^^^Simple, Accurate, Explanation^^^^^^^

 

[Colonialgirl]

The Deposit Refund on glass bottles when you were a kid is due to the fact that the beverage company would wash them out, sterilize them and refill them which was MUCH cheaper than a NEW glass bottle.
My Mom use to collect them and buy federal savings bonds for us kids with the refunds.

 

[Bull Barrel]

I used to build the machines that washed the reusable bottles.

 

[Bobberfishin]

Here in Polk County Florida they don't even recycle clear plastic or glass. No water bottles - NONE, no soda bottles. Basically they only take the translucent milk jugs, cardboard & paper products. Can't believe they won't take water bottles.

 

[Dan in MI]

MI has been ten cents since the mid 70's for carbonated beverages. At that time our ditches were full of bottles. Our ditches were clean for years. Now water bottles are starting to show up. I am all for it being applied to non carbonated beverages.

Don't really get the tax scam implications. If you do your part it's a zero sum game. Agreed it can be a pain, but it's up to you how much it costs you, or not.

 

[Jimbo357mag]

5¢ each here with wine bottles being 15¢. Some juice containers too. I bag ours and once and a while, load the truck and turn them in splitting the$ with the boy. (Usually he gets the majority). $20-30 each load.

Thanks. Where do you turn them in to? Must be recycler, correct? I can't image retailers counting bottles and cans.

 

[golferboy426]

5¢ each here with wine bottles being 15¢. Some juice containers too. I bag ours and once and a while, load the truck and turn them in splitting the$ with the boy. (Usually he gets the majority). $20-30 each load.

Thanks. Where do you turn them in to? Must be recycler, correct? I can't image retailers counting bottles and cans.

CT we have a 5 cent on beer soda water. They have bar code reading machines self service they spit out a receipt all done at the grocery store.

The kicker though is the State gets to keep nearly all of the unclaimed deposits which occur when people recycle them instead. we have curbside single stream recycling so really they could all be recycled and the deposit eliminiated but then the Stae wouldn't get their cut.

 

[WAYNO]

Up here the deposit recently changed from 5-cents to 10-cents per bottle or can. Soft drinks, beer, and water.

Used to be we could take them to the local grocery store, and drop them in the automatic counter, receive a voucher, and we were done.

NOW...We have to take them to a separate facility which may or may not be in your neighborhood, put them in a special bag that you have to buy from them only, drop them in a window, they do the counting, and the value goes into an account that's accessible with a little credit card. They also have some machines for self counting, but they are overwhelmed with customers, so you could be standing in drink can muck for a long time waiting for the next available machine. There are many employees working at this can and bottle receiving facility. And you could be in line a long time to cash in the money in your account.

 

[Jeepnik]

We have one. But good luck trying to find a place to get your money back.

Originally the stores were supposed to take the containers back like in the old days. They complained it would cost too much and be unsanitary. So that part of the law went away.

As stated basically tax fraud.

 

[blume357]

Yep, I remember my buddies and I walking into town and picking up bottles beside the road and taking them to the general store and cashing them in for some thick sliced balcony and a loaf of white bread.... good eating for the work we did.

 

[bobski]

to add to conn., they call it state wide, but its very store specific. if the brand isn't carried by the store youre recycling in, the can or bottle is rejected.
go right next door to a store that does.....and they take it.
bring a can from va to conn? same brand, same label, the can isn't accepted because the bar code reads a different state. youd think theyd be glad to get the raw material in their own hands to be sold to the recyclers. nope. so much for the environment.
mafia got it all sewed up, gang.

 

[Jimbo357mag]

WOW! A real can of worms.... ha ha. I wonder how the bar code reader works on smashed cans? :roll:

 

[5of7]

MI has been ten cents since the mid 70's for carbonated beverages. At that time our ditches were full of bottles. Our ditches were clean for years. Now water bottles are starting to show up. I am all for it being applied to non carbonated beverages.

Don't really get the tax scam implications. If you do your part it's a zero sum game. Agreed it can be a pain, but it's up to you how much it costs you, or not.

I agree to this.

Also, it appears that the dime doesn't provide the motivation that it did in the 70s, so I would favor an increase in the deposit. 8)

 

[Bull Barrel]

Aluminum cans are 50 cents/lb. Its enough incentive for me. And less hassle.

 

[roarindan51]

always had recycling in NY . As a kid we'd walk the mile thru town an pick up enough to get a box of 22's, at least.
I notice where there is no law about recycling the is a lot of crap on the ground.

 

[turd]

Don't really get the tax scam implications. If you do your part it's a zero sum game. Agreed it can be a pain, but it's up to you how much it costs you, or not.

This. Iowa is .10, you get the .10 back when you turn in the cans/bottles. PIA, but NOT a tax.

 

[Fox Mike]

Not now in Maryland. When I was young man I lived near a public beach on a two lane road with deep ditches. On Mondays my buddies and I could haul in a few dollars in return bottles. In the early 40s a couple dollars was MUCH money for a 6-7-8 year old kid.

 

[Bull Barrel]

Don't really get the tax scam implications. If you do your part it's a zero sum game. Agreed it can be a pain, but it's up to you how much it costs you, or not.

This. Iowa is .10, you get the .10 back when you turn in the cans/bottles. PIA, but NOT a tax.

But for every container that is not returned who keeps the money?

 

[Jeepnik]

It became a scam here when the sellers conspired with the legislators to make it darned near impossible to return the container for the "refund". It in effect raised the price of the product the amount of the refund, and guess who receives the "deposit" money?

 

[AJGUNNER]

Oregon was the first to pass the legislation n 1971 and it became active in 1972. Below is a a copy and past on the number one reason.

"The law is credited with reducing litter and increasing container recycling. As a result, items which used to make up around 40% of roadside litter now represent about 6%. With return rates averaging 90%,[2] another major benefit is in waste reduction and resource conservation, particularly for aluminum. By comparison, states without similar bills recycle on average 33% of their containers.[3] Beverage distributors retain all deposits not reclaimed by consumers."

You pretty much never see bottles or cans roadside in Oregon. If/when you do it rarely sticks around for more than a day due to lots of folks taking advantage and picking them up. I am am out in the country 7 miles from the nearest stores. I regularly see folks walking the roadside ditches with bags filled with empties. Our Boy Scouts volunteer to pick them up from your house if you don't want to be burdened with returning them. This is a solid fundraiser throughout the year and even better when events are held like our local Oktoberfest. I recently bumped into an older gentleman at the store that I often see walking the roadside ditches. I asked him how much he makes doing it. While he would not share actual numbers he did elude to what I figured to be around $40K per year. He is retired, out getting his exercise, and helping to put multiple grand kids through college. Not to mention helping to keep the roadside trash at bay.

The Oregon return laws were just recently amended to include lots of other recyclables. Just yesterday the wife noticed that her large plastic bottle of V-8 juice now have 10 cents on them. While it might seem like a real joke to most to go to Costco and buy bottled water for $.08 and have to pay $.10 deposit on each bottle, it will and does keep these items picked up and recycled. I am all for keeping more plastic out of the dumps. Our bottle bill now includes almost any and every drink bottle including aluminum, plastic, glass, and even the steel imported juice cans. Those states that don't agree with the time, hassle, and expense of enacting similar systems to the "Oregon" laws, certainly will go on seeing plenty of it roadside and in your dumps. Having grown up making a difference and benefiting personally from the extra dollars earned, I have a tough time understanding why the "Oregon" laws on bottle returns have not been enacted nation wide. After 45 years we know it works. It is about time other states take notice and make it work everywhere.

 

[Bull Barrel]

So...why dont we return the bottle to the brewer or soda maker to wash and refill it any more?

 

[Jimbo357mag]

So...why dont we return the bottle to the brewer or soda maker to wash and refill it any more?

Because they don't re-use bottles anymore. Too much liability.

 

[GLASSMAN]

I have no idea what the deal is in Illinois but knowing this state they'll probably try to charge you again instead of giving back. :roll:

 

[Dan in MI]

It sounds like it is a messed up system in other states. In MI if you sell it full, you have to take it back empty. No real hassle other than actually taking them back. Some stores hand count and pay you back, others have machines that read bar codes and give you a slip to take to the register for your cash.

Some stores are very finicky about what they take back, which just drives me away from the store at all. They are not violating the law, but they are being jerks. Just make is easy here is scenario, but with it is normally with smaller smaller brands. You sell Pepsi, but not Diet Pepsi, so you won't take Diet Pepsi bottles. The returnables go back to the manufacturer so what's the big deal except for being obstinate.

As far as broken bottles and smashed cans. Broken bottles you lose. Smashed cans used to be returnable still, not sure now, I know if they use a machine you can't. There was a fight over the excess funds held by the state a few years ago but I do not remember the outcome.