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87 Comments
- TJ11240, on 09/03/2009, -0/+38Aluminum cans are the best thing of all to recycle. The creation of a recycled aluminum can uses only 5% the energy used to make a traditional one, because aluminum is a very energy-intensive material to make.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aluminium_recycling - bobburn1, on 09/04/2009, -0/+16YES! If people are going to recycle one thing, aluminum should be it.
- joshuaer, on 09/03/2009, -0/+15people stopped recycling for many reasons, most of all laziness. But so many areas do not have weekly or biweekly pickup still. The fact that a lot of companies want every thing cleaned and sorted does not help. I also think that for the most part people do not get paid to recycle any more does effect it as well.
- Cine, on 09/04/2009, -0/+14I moved from Norway to California last month. I'm used to recycling all my cans and bottles, but since I got here, I've just been throwing stuff away. The containers say "CA redemption value", but I have no idea what that means or where to turn it in.
In Norway, there are can/bottle deposits at every grocery store, where you then get money back for the containers recycled. I believe this has resulted in pretty high recycling rates. - OlgaPolka, on 09/04/2009, -0/+13Bums pick most of them up...
- winguero, on 09/03/2009, -1/+13Eeesh, so many cans! I can't believe 1 year’s worth of cans would make more than 8,000 747’s.
- pwarnock, on 09/03/2009, -0/+10My neighborhood has people that do that for me.
- pwarnock, on 09/03/2009, -0/+7In California, you don't get back 100% of what you pay in because of handling fees, et cetera. California Redemption Value (CRV) is essentially a tax.
- joshuaer, on 09/03/2009, -0/+7ya ya ya double posting but i just thought of something.
FTA: Maybe we should charge a $.50 premium on each aluminum can sold in this country - I bet people would recycle them at that price point.
In minneapolis they pickup every other week I assume most major cities do this as well. at .50 a can ever one would recycle cans but they would not give them to the city or non-profit recycling companies they would all bring them in and demand a hand can by can count at 6.00 back on a 12 pack that is a lot of money. But would also create a lot of waste rather then having 1 truck come long for X number of blocks ever 2 weeks to pick up cans and other items. every one would save cans and bring them in ever week or two them selfs but every one would drive them selfs to the place using more fuel. - RuffRidr, on 09/03/2009, -0/+6This has been tried in Iowa, Michigan, and I think a few other states, albeit at a price point of $.05 or $.10 instead. It would be interesting to see whether or not this improved recycling rates.
- drinking12many, on 09/04/2009, -0/+6Because In my town we have recycling bins you pay extra for and if you wake up in time you can watch them throw it in with the regular trash... Im paying extra to recycle to watch the trash guy throw it in with the rest of the trash. Now I can take two ideas from that one they go through your trash and recycle stuff anyway(not likely) or 2 they use it to make extra revenue and just throw it in the dump anyway. (more likely)
- bmcnally, on 09/04/2009, -1/+61500*60*60*24*365 = 47 billion cans per year?
*****. That means (assuming a round 300 million for US population) each person throws away 158 cans a year. Given that some states can even be mostly excluded from the statistic (due to deposits on cans, high involvement in recycling programs, etc), the number is pushed even higher. - Skopelan, on 09/03/2009, -1/+6Wow this statistic is incredible really made me think and go through my trash can.
- unlimitedmp, on 09/04/2009, -0/+5I save my cans, glass, and plastic and make about twenty bucks 3 times a year. Nice when there's extra space to store them
- robbob, on 09/03/2009, -3/+8of every hour of every year of every
- CreamyGoodness, on 09/04/2009, -0/+5Americans = Convenience. Lack of convenience = Lazy. If you see a recycling bin right next to a garbage can you're more inclined to recycle. But if that bin is in the garage or you have to walk to get to it, most are inclined to pitch it in the nearest receptacle. Sad but true.
- nietzscheanx, on 09/04/2009, -0/+5But why not have a separate container for them?
- gizram84, on 09/04/2009, -0/+5i don't like that decade was skipped. burried.
- stephhicks68, on 09/03/2009, -0/+4We have a 5 cent surcharge on cans and bottles here in Oregon - I do think that it helps. Non-profit agencies collect and recycle the cans for cash for their organizations too.
- waydee, on 09/04/2009, -0/+4Norway really do recycling well, I lived there for a while and it was very easy to return all your bottles and cans.
I wish the UK was the same, we're getting better but there isn't any money returned on cans and bottles, I suspect lots of people still throw them in general waste. - paradigmx, on 09/04/2009, -0/+4C'mon man, thats like blaming video games for violence, or Microsoft for Virus's
- inactive, on 09/04/2009, -0/+4My city in SoCal just this month introduced curbside recycling, when cities around us have had it for ten years or longer...
- thorie79, on 09/04/2009, -0/+3Recycling used to be simple. Now it's certain paper here, certain plastic there, one type of metal is ok, the other is not, 5 different types of garbage cans, everyone is confused. They give up, and just toss the aluminum can in the trash. If people would just simplify the trash cans, things would be better.
- LowRentDiggs, on 09/04/2009, -0/+3You seem to have taken to the lazy half of America's "what's in it for me?" attitude pretty quickly.
- SystemicThought, on 09/04/2009, -0/+3The way I see it, my city reaps the benefits of my recycling. They offer a small credit if people sort recycling and leave it out, bagged on trash day. The city turns a nice little profit on the raw materials, and save operating costs on landfills. Not only do I get a credit, but the way I see it, it keeps my property taxes down because the city has more money in their budget. This is more than enough motivation for me to recycle, ignoring the ways in which it might benefit the environment.
- newznozzl, on 09/04/2009, -0/+2Good call - I also call ***** on the number.
- als54, on 09/04/2009, -0/+2Buried due to nonfactual, a lot of the can thrown away are actually recycled by somebody going through the trash after them. If kind like the numbers Obama uses for uninsured people....
- Nemoso, on 09/04/2009, -1/+3Thanks to whoever threw the other 129,599,997 cans away for me today. I owe you one, buddy.
- HappyScrappy, on 09/04/2009, -0/+2It means $0.05. It used to be $0.025. You're paying $0.05 per can/bottle when you buy pop, and you get $0.05 back when you return it.
Unfortunately, the return process isn't super well organized. California really half-assed this. There will be a sign at the store which says where you get get your redemption values back, it'll be generally in the parking lot of some store nearby (perhaps the one you are at).
Michigan did this far better, it was $0.10 back in 1980, and every store that sells cans and bottles is required to take them back. - ThanatosST, on 09/04/2009, -0/+2if you're in a state that offers a refund for turning them in.
- Cine, on 09/04/2009, -0/+2Thanks for clearing that up! It's not that strange it isn't effective if it's only 5 cent – it's not really worth the effort for that. I think it's something between $0.5 and $0.8 in Norway – enough to make it actually worth redeeming.
- cheerfulcynic, on 09/04/2009, -0/+2aluminum was once so valuable, that they used a little pyramid of it on top of the washington monument.
- atroxodisse, on 09/04/2009, -0/+2"Why is the recycling rate actually declining as more and more people are looking to “go green”?"
Because they're all in my garage. - billraydrums, on 09/04/2009, -0/+2Aluminum cans in my neighborhood are like birds in a cat rescue facility. The alley scavengers practically fight over them.
- Swivelstick, on 09/04/2009, -0/+2Of course those things are factored into the cost.. What do you mean don't expect the recycling companies to do anything about it, it's their ***** business and how they make money. With the crash a lot of material is now worthless but not aluminum. However it would make sense for all of us if we factor recycling/waste cost into everything we buy.
- Shakermaker, on 09/04/2009, -1/+3That's what blue boxes are for, morons. Use them.
If you don't have any, then get on it. - WickedAngelR6, on 09/04/2009, -0/+2I don't understand why waste disposal companies don't make it easier for people to recycle. I don't know how it is in most places but there is absolutely no effort made to make the process convenient; there is one location in town that is capable of handling recycling. It seems as if a concerted effort to make recycling easier for consumers could be profitable given that aluminum cans actually have resale value.
- ChromaVita, on 09/04/2009, -0/+2Sometimes this is true, but I don't see how that goes for recycling...
- lbzfoxracingsmp, on 09/07/2009, -0/+1every state should pay for a deposit. states with no deposits people tend to throw them away.
- DarkSim, on 09/04/2009, -0/+1But think of all the "i"s they are saving by calling it "Aluminum"!
- inactive, on 09/04/2009, -0/+1i just threw away 7500 cans while i typed this comment!
- Lunarsight, on 09/04/2009, -0/+1Emmi - Recycling centers work okay if they are within walking distance to your home, or at least not too far away.
However, there's a certain cruel irony in having to drive a significant distance specifically to have goods recycled. One wonders if the impact of all the cars driving to the recycling center cancels out any potential environmental good of the recycling.
In my city, apartment-dwellers get discriminated against -- the house-owners (and those in smaller apartments) get curbside recycling, but apartments larger than a certain number of residences don't have this, and have no way they can even buy into it. (And then they wonder why people turn around and throw all the recyclables away.) - wrestlingnrj, on 09/04/2009, -0/+1My city just adopted the same thing a little over a month ago.
I've always recycled though and it helps that I work for one of the largest recycling companies in the world. I just bring everything to work with me. - nepidae, on 09/05/2009, -0/+1good point
- Lunarsight, on 09/04/2009, -0/+1Nepidae - True, but again - the return rate on cans has remained fixed while the cost of living has not. A nickel per can just doesn't have as much impact as it once did, even for bums.
You figure, they can bring in money much more quickly by panhandling in a place with a lot of pedestrians. - gaymathman, on 09/06/2009, -0/+1Actually, Aluminum is the only recyclable that makes sense to recycle from an economic standpoint; it's cheaper to make a can from an old one than from the raw materials.
- ibuprofane, on 09/05/2009, -0/+1Most people I know in Michigan bring them to the store religiously because $.10/can adds up fast. Most people I know in Iowa just toss them in a recycling bin because $.05/can isn't worth it to them.
- quentinp, on 09/04/2009, -0/+1I know one issue in some cities is ridiculous recycling requirements. Here we just put everything in one blue bag (and have a very high recyling rate), some places though have like 4 different bins. Sorry, if people have to sort their own garbage a lot of them are just going to throw it out.
Plus with cans, there's not always a recycling bin around in public areas, and I'm *NOT* going to carry it around with me all day. It goes in the trash. - Lunarsight, on 09/04/2009, -0/+1I think one reason the aluminum recycling rate is going down is because five cents isn't worth as much as it had been previously.
Despite inflation, the amount you get back per can has remained fixed for decades. Naturally, if they did increase this amount, it would also mean a higher initial deposit when purchasing the soda. So, there is a bit of a trade-off involved.
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As far as curbside recycling goes, the city I live in (Worcester, MA) only offers it to those in houses or smaller apartments. For any residence with more than eight apartments, they won't accept any recycling. The canned response they give us is that it's up to the landlords to provide it, and that we're free to drive halfway across the city to drop off our recycled goods. (It would make sense if apartment dwellers could buy into the curbside recycling for a fee, but the city government doesn't want to be bothered with it.) -
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