Vocal Voices

The Scots are considering introducing a scheme of placing a deposit on drinks cans and bottles in order to get people to recycle them. It was commonplace when I was younger and we children would use it to top up our pocket money. A couple of dad's beer bottles and a few pop bottles were worth a shilling - not bad in those days.

In modern times it could lead to charity litter walks or even as a way for the homeless to earn a bit of cash. Either way it helps to keep the streets clean and help recycle valuable materials. I think that it is a great idea.

Then there's the other side of the coin.

Last night on Dragon's Den a couple had a scheme to recycle disposable nappies, of which millions go to landfill every day. They were to send them to a digester where the, ahem, organic materials were removed and used as compost. The plastics were then to be remade or added to such things as decking, roof tiles etc. It failed because neither of the couple could afford to give up their day jobs to expand it.... that's why they needed a dragon. On the same show the dragons were falling over themselves to buy into a beef jerky business. Ready money and lots of it. I bet the bags the jerky comes in will end up as litter.

Germany still uses deposits. So does Sweden. It really works.

Go to a Swedish supermarket and look at the entry way. There are banks of machines which take your bottles and cans. When complete, it prints out a barcode which comes off your shopping. It's not a lot of money but it's used constantly...

It's time to stop disposing and start re-using. Which, after all, is the very best kind of recycling as in many cases it requires little or no energy...

WM,
Can you remember the stone jars. There was an art to balance it on your arm and tip it so that you could drink out of the neck.
I remember lemonade bottles with the deposit on them. There was a period when there were high interest rates and people were collecting cans as they could get money for them from scrap metal dealers.

Cruiser, 1/2demi-john with one finger loop on the neck, for grip.

Suff, I think the scheme the Scots want to introduce is similar to that of the Swedes. It's self-financing and it incentiveises recycling. Let's face it; persuasion hasn't been a great success.

I remember the money back on pop bottles - I think it's a fantastic idea to bring it back

Workingman wrote:The Scots are considering introducing a scheme of placing a deposit on drinks cans and bottles in order to get people to recycle them. It was commonplace when I was younger and we children would use it to top up our pocket money. A couple of dad's beer bottles and a few pop bottles were worth a shilling - not bad in those days.

OMG! I remember that - it did work well and I often used to wonder why they ever got rid of it.

its a good idea but i dont think teenagers
would be bothered to go into a shop to collect the deposits
send there younger brothers sisters maybe
iv used the deposits in my younger days
and cashing a book of greenshield stamps for 2/6
or goods at argos
still use pyrex basins white with blue snow flake pattern on
memories aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

If the deposit was high enough I would go rootling the bins for cans and plastic bottles.

saundra wrote:its a good idea but i dont think teenagers
would be bothered to go into a shop to collect the deposits
send there younger brothers sisters maybe

LOL, as a 7-8 yo, I used to collect all our live-in aunt's empties, load them into the boot of the tricycle, and pedal madly down the hill to the off-licence for 3d back on each bottle. And I think it was 2/6d back on each soda syphon - untold riches !!

Ossie