Posted on 10/07/2012 1:56:25 PM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
Just over 8.5 billion recyclable cans were sold in California last year. The number redeemed for a nickel under California's recycling law: 8.3 billion.
That's a return rate of nearly 100%.
That kind of success isn't just impressive, it's unbelievable. But the recycling rate for certain plastic containers was even higher: 104%.
California's generous recycling redemption program has led to rampant fraud. Crafty entrepreneurs are driving semi-trailers full of cans from Nevada or Arizona, which don't have deposit laws, across the border and transforming their cargo into truckfuls of nickels. In addition, recyclers inside the state are claiming redemptions for the same containers several times over, or for containers that never existed.
The illicit trade is draining the state's $1.1-billion recycling fund. Government officials recently estimated the fraud at $40 million a year, and an industry expert said it could exceed $200 million. It's one reason the strapped fund paid out $100 million more in expenses last year than it took in from deposits and other sources.
"The law says California has to make it easy to recycle … so anyone with a devious mind, it's so easy, they can just go right in," said Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy Dave Chapman, who has investigated fraud rings in recent months.
Under the state's 25-year-old recycling law, California charges consumers a deposit on most beverage containers sold within its borders. Anyone who brings empty containers back to one of about 2,300 privately run recycling centers can collect 5 cents for most cans and bottles and 10 cents for larger containers.
Only products sold in California are eligible. But a can is a can — and many recycling centers in California aren't that interested in where they come from.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
$16/month. No one is really coerced but it is so simple to throw recyclables in one container that I put out maybe once every three weeks if I choose. And the trashbag of garbage and slop is now so small that it would be hardly worth taking to the curb except for the smell. Our community actually made money off the recyclables last year.
I find it strange that you pay the California Redemption Value (CRV) on a per container basis, and the container says how much you should get back per container at a recycling center. However, when you go to the recycling center, your
CRV is based on the total weight of the containers recycled and not on the total number of containers brought in.
Depends upon what it is. Aluminum actually makes sense as a recylcable material because it is very energy intensive to process raw ore into aluminum, compared to the energy it takes to resmelt aluminum cans.
Paper, on the other hand, is not recycle friendly at all. It's actually more expensive to recycle paper than it is worth. The same for the most part can be said about glass, unless you're not as concerned about the appearance of the glass you produce. You can't, to the best of my knowledge, produce clear glass unless you only have clear glass fed into the stream.
I do remember the Science paper being quite comprehensive. I wish I could remember more. I wish I could remember the title & author!
I only recycle pizza boxes. Nothing else.
One pizza box can destroy a whole batch of recycled cardboard.
“Privatizing the CA system would fix it all. Gov’t attempting to make a share of the profits has a way of screwing everything up.”
I live in the Bay Area in CA. We have had for many,many years curbside recycling. We have one contractor who picks up the garbage (small wheeled cart) and another who picks up the “recyclables” and the “green waste” (that are in separate large wheeled carts). He dumps both carts in the same truck, but he gets pissed off if you put some green waste in the recyclables bin and vice versa. Go figure! He also picks up used motor oil in gallon milk jugs, but if you try to put it out in a milk jug from the store, he won’t take it because it doesn’t have a hazmat label on it! Oh, and they are not permitted to touch anything you put out, so if they miss and drop stuff on the street, they drive off and leave it.
I do. About once a day, I pee outside.
“America is truly a fortunate land ~ we have to think about dealing with trash......”
Yes, we are most fortunate, but I don’t understand what that’s to do with my point, which was addressing the source of policy, not recycling.
TMI !!!!
kind of humorous actually...When California set this up they counted on making a bonanza from cans bottles never redeemed but thrown into the landfill. But the redeemed numbers are very close to the sold (and taxed 5 cents) number due to influx of out of state cans. So no windfall for California to squander
Eventually, you run out of other people’s money.
I recycle. I'm doing my part.
Sewage and septic systems are overloaded nationwide, and create a lot of greenhouse gasses.
I am contributing to the natural harmony of the earth and providing needed nutrients to the plants and animals therein and thereon.
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