[mrki444]

Many countries have bottle recycling programs. They are usually purchased by stores or landfills. Bottles from 0.5 liters to 0.33 liters are purchased. Smaller bottles are often not purchased. Plastic bottles of juice or alcohol can be brought in. They also buy cans or glass bottles. Bottles of oil or detergent are not purchased.

Such actions and obligations are aimed at preserving the environment, but they often become a social problem. Many people collect bottles just to cover regular expenses. Most often, retirees do this because their pensions hardly cover all expenses, especially medicines and treatment.



Do you have such programs in your country and who uses them most often?

[OldGuy]

Here in the US, there are bottle and can recycling programs in every state.

Some states have programs where customers pay an added bottle/can deposit when they purchase the product and that added deposit is refunded when the empty container is returned to the store. Since that deposit is collected and retained for the container from a specific producer, the containers have to be returned in an undamaged condition because the vendor has to scan and read the bar code on each item to calculate the refund. Some containers have a deposit of 5 cents and some are 10 cents and even that varies by state. It ends up with a bulkier pile to return because you can't crush anything if you want that refund. States thet work on refunds of those deposits work with all kinds of bottles and cans.

Other state programs only issue refunds based on weight. Since the refund is only based on weight, you can crush them so you can collect a lot more in a single bag for return. They weigh the bag and calculate the refund on the weight. I happen to collect cans in a state where the refund is based on weight. Just due to experience, I know that if I completely flatten aluminum cans, I can fit 10 pounds in a single kitchen trash bag. It takes 334 crushed cans to equal 10 pounds. At the latest price of 75 cents a pound, that is $7.50 a bag. States that pay refunds based on weight work with aluminum can returns but only toss plastic and glass bottles in recycle bins for discard.

The only reason I even bother collecting them is that I happen to know a couple of soused lushes who provide hundreds of cans each month all by themselves. I don't go out looking for them. Too much time and effort for that.

I have made the comparison from both systems. It takes about 2000 cans returned for deposits to make $100 (USD). When calculated by weight, it takes nearly 5000 cans to make that same $100.

I don't know who uses these collections for added earnings the most, but I suspect there are more homeless wandering the streets looking for collections than retirees. It only adds up to a little added pocket change for the effort involved. Even at that, it is a heck of a lot more than you can earn posting content on forums in the same amount of time.

[ptrikha21]

We have this recycling done not only for Bottles and Cans but of many things.
Newspapers fetch the maximum prices.
However, the sector is highly unregularized and safety measures, especially when using taking out Toxic metals is missing.

[OldGuy]

Newspapers fetch the maximum prices.

Interesting. I have not seen a printed paper newspaper in more than 10 years in the states. Those that do still publish are online with paid subscriptions. I know my hometown paper switched to an online only version back in 2009. There may be a few specialty paper publications still around but seems they are rare. There are still a few paper boxes next to the post office mail boxes that people have not bothered to remove but all I have seen are either stuffed full of trash or some insect nest. I don't think anyone still uses them. There certainly are not enough newspapers to bother with recycling.

[Netherrealmer]

Taiwan have a charity that turns plastic bottles turn into Polyester blankets and donates it to disaster victims

[mrki444]

Since the refund is only based on weight, you can crush them so you can collect a lot more in a single bag for return. They weigh the bag and calculate the refund on the weight.

We get per can or bottle (plastic, glass) 7 euro cents. No matter weight.

[Fergal]

they often become a social problem. Many people collect bottles just to cover regular expenses

In what way is that a social problem?

It takes about 2000 cans returned for deposits to make $100 (USD). When calculated by weight, it takes nearly 5000 cans to make that same $100.

Do you mean "it takes nearly 5000 plastic bottles..." ?

[OldGuy]

OldGuy wrote:
It takes about 2000 cans returned for deposits to make $100 (USD). When calculated by weight, it takes nearly 5000 cans to make that same $100.

Do you mean "it takes nearly 5000 plastic bottles..." ?

No. The states that charge and refund container deposits do so for aluminum cans, and glass and plastic bottles. The states that offer refunds based on weight only do so for aluminum cans. Glass and plastic bottles in those states can only go in trash or recycling bins without refunds.

It just so happens I have collected and turned in enough crushed aluminum cans to know that it takes exactly 334 cans to fill a bag to ten pounds by weight. I also know that the current rate for aluminum is 75 cents per pound, so a 10 pound bag is worth $7.50. 15 times $7.50 equals $112.50. As for the count? 15 times 334 equals 5010 cans.

The rate per pound varies. I have collected as low as 45 cents per pound, or only $4.50 for a ten pound bag. At that rate it would require nearly 23 10 pound bags, or more than 7400 cans. Most definitely not worth the time nor effort to go out looking for them. You have to have a nearby source with a continual high volume discard rate to even bother to bag them up for collections. The drunks that empty them are not sober enough to do even that.

The 2000 count figure came from a site that had calculated the average returns for bottle and cans based on deposit refunds and stated the average collected refunds was about $100 per 2000 containers.

[mrki444]

In what way is that a social problem?

Bottle recycling program should just support ecological sense and keep plastic away from nature. Insted, it become souce of income. It is social problem when people go trough other people trash and search for bottles.

[mrki444]

Some EU law stopped all programs receive glass bottles. Is it same in your country?

[Tendz]

We don't have a law like that here, but glass bottles are still usually recycled. Plastic bottles seem to get the most focus, though.

[mrki444]

We don't have a law like that here, but glass bottles are still usually recycled

Does recycle programs accept it as plastic and pay same?

[Netherrealmer]

Someone on Youtube made a tutorial how to make plastic bottles into ribbons for 3d printing

[mrki444]

Someone on Youtube made a tutorial how to make plastic bottles into ribbons for 3d printing

Be careful with it. 3D printers are sensitive with type of filament since it melt it.

[germainebull]

Many countries have bottle recycling programs. ...

Those bottle recycling programs are like a desert. If you find a water well, people run there to get a little bit of survival stores and landfills. They buy the large ones, 0.5 to 0.33 liters, but the smaller ones are often not accepted. Juice and alcohol plastics are also accepted. Cans and glass bottles are not accepted, but oil and detergent are not accepted. This initiative aims at the environment but often becomes a social problem. Many retirees collect bottles to cover their expenses. And as the Chinese say, one drop of water can dig a stone, so even one bottle can help a person continue to live.

[nela13]

I recently read that a similar program is going to be implented in my country next year. I don't know if we will pay a deposit when we purchase the product that is refunded we it returned to the store or if it is a reclying program with a small monetary incentive.