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Does the state REALLY want us to recycle our bottles and cans?

6~8 months ago, the recycling center that was three miles away was closed. "But Georgetown is still open, so it's okay." was the local chant. So now it was a 13 mile drive. Welp, that one just closed a couple weeks ago. Now it's a 25 mile drive to the dump in Placerville. The returns won't even pay for fuel, let alone time. Maybe it's time to build a bottle house. :laughing


corndog67 said:
A while back, I took a bunch of stain less remnants and drops (off the ends of bars of stainless), and also some 6061 and 7075 aluminum material to the "highest price paid" recycler. Maybe 300 lbs. They gave me about $60. For probably $2000 worth of material.
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You could probably donate some of the smaller stainless and high carbon steel to either that state park blacksmith shop in the south bay that I can never remember the name of, or you can PM me to come pick it up when you have enough to make the trip worthwhile. The guys at Coloma would love some drops. :teeth
 
I grew up in Illinois, a state that gave one-for-one redemption charge/redemption value. We saved and recycled everything there (get that money back get that money back!).

Here in California it just wasn't worth it for me to bag the stuff up then take it to a recycling buy-back site.

We have a trash-service-provided can for recycling. We put all non-redeemable stuff in that can.

The redeemable stuff we leave in a large basket, on our property, so that local indigents can just grab up the worthwhile items and not have to root around in the can. Easier (and legal) for them, less noise for us and our neighbors. This system has worked for years, I've even gotten a couple of neighbors to do the same. Recycling for money in California is low-payback to me, but high payback for them.

Plus, that crap doesn't end up in landfills; I have grandchildren, so I care.
 
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(And thanks guys, now I have an earworm...)

[youtube]watch?v=6y0R-QccpcQ[/youtube]

NOFX Scavenger Type
Giggin alone at the bottom of the hill
Our protagonist named Bill
Sets his sights on an anchor steam pint
All he, needs is thirteen quarters
Congregated in his hat

A crow, a scavenger type
California redemption, provides him with his rent
Room and board inside of, a fifth, of comfort
As the wind penetrates his bones
His mind keep focused
Tidal waves of sound catapulted
From his horn, wail like lovers

The coins don't drop consistent as does the mercury
His meter slows realizing a zenith
He's reached perfection
No one did see him die
 
SteelerFanatic said:
This. We recycle all of our cans throughout the year and redeem them to pay for gas to Reno for our annual trip. We used to get around $110-$130 for 6 contractor size bags. Today we got $70.55.

It's just not worth it anymore to bag (and rebag) and store the cans for a year. Doing it more often would net even less.

What I don't get is that the price per pound keeps going up but we get less. When we started doing this they were paying $1.10 per pound of aluminum cans. Today the price board listed $1.57.

Pretty sure I'm getting ripped off somewhere.
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I pitched a bitch at the recycler headquarters in Bako. I got an immediate reply. It seems that the gang members that worked the recycle trailer here, were hosing everyone that went in there, shorting people on weight. Since I had no idea what the actual weight was before I went there, "Sorry, Charlie".
 
I used to collect pop bottles as a kid for pocket change.
The only place I've been in Ca. that will return full value on bottles/cans was in Yosemite.
I messed with recycling for a time, wasn't worth the effort/time invested anymore.
As to the Ca tax now, I toss everything in the trash. I paid for it. Why should I be taxed for complying too?
To me it's a big fuzzy green FU from the state.
 
MysterYvil said:
We have a trash-service-provided can for recycling. We put all non-redeemable stuff in that can.

The redeemable stuff we leave in a large basket, on our property, so that local indigents can just grab up the worthwhile items and not have to root around in the can. Easier (and legal) for them, less noise for us and our neighbors. This system has worked for years, I've even gotten a couple of neighbors to do the same. Recycling for money in California is low-payback to me, but high payback for them.

Plus, that crap doesn't end up in landfills; I have grandchildren, so I care.
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I am telling you that the local centers are closed. There are no more indigents rooting through the bins at night in my neighborhood. I couldn't figure out why, now I know. I guess I should be grateful that I don't get woken up at 2 in the morning to the sound of bins being rifled through, not to mention all the garbage they leave in the gutter after they have looked.

I don't WANT it to go in landfill, but it is because there isn't enough money to make recycling worth it.I heard on the news that plastic water bottles are in fact going into the landfill FROM recycling centers, not regular garbage cans. I don't have grandchildren, but I care too, so spare us the sanctimony about it.

I'm just pissed that the State keeps taking our money. Indirect taxation is just so damn sneaky. It's seeing the taxpayers as chumps that bugs me. The government is our enemy, not our ally.\

The end of my story was that on Saturday, when I went to the otherwise excellent El Cerrito recycling center to dump the bottles, the office they have was closed but they had informational sheets giving out addresses of pay-recycle places – the same ones that I had found were closed. So they are adding misinformation to the mix.
 
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Bay Arean said:
I'm just pissed that the State keeps taking our money. Indirect taxation is just so damn sneaky. It's seeing the taxpayers as chumps that bugs me.
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Wish we could do something about this. They make it so easy to charge the CRV but give us the runaround when it comes time to collect it back.
 
juupo said:
Wish we could do something about this. They make it so easy to charge the CRV but give us the runaround when it comes time to collect it back.
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Start with acquiring the url 'crvIsATaxNotRecycling.com' and start putting facts on the site. Then contact the news stations and see if you can get any traction. The California people would be pissed if they really thought about it, somebody just needs to put it front and center.
 
Another interesting tidbit from the cal-recycle website:

By law, you can bring up to 50 aluminum, 50 glass, 50 plastic, and 50 bi-metal California Redemption Value (CRV) containers in a single visit and request to be paid by count. You will be paid the full CRV redemption of 5 cents or 10 cents on each container. Inform the site attendant of your load content and how you would like to receive payment before you hand over your load.
 
juupo said:
Another interesting tidbit from the cal-recycle website:

By law, you can bring up to 50 aluminum, 50 glass, 50 plastic, and 50 bi-metal California Redemption Value (CRV) containers in a single visit and request to be paid by count. You will be paid the full CRV redemption of 5 cents or 10 cents on each container. Inform the site attendant of your load content and how you would like to receive payment before you hand over your load.
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I wonder if they're interested in enforcing that law.

Recycle centers seem to be run by bottom feeders these days who have little to no morals, ethics or decency. Hard to tell if there is just no money in it or whether it all gets spent on meth.
 
Climber said:
Recycle centers seem to be run by bottom feeders these days who have little to no morals, ethics or decency. .
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you mean I can cut/torch/remove any copper bits I can get my hands on and no questions asked?:laughing

:wtf


those a-holes should get all their fingers broken.
 
In Canada I would keep bottles and cans because they could be returned virtually anywhere. Most grocery stores had a processing machine. It's BS in CA where you need to return them to a recycling center? I mean, it's not really a "deposit" if you can't return it ton the company that sold it to you.

So..I just toss them in recycling bin.
 
Bay Arean said:
I am telling you that the local centers are closed. There are no more indigents rooting through the bins at night in my neighborhood. I couldn't figure out why, now I know. I guess I should be grateful that I don't get woken up at 2 in the morning to the sound of bins being rifled through, not to mention all the garbage they leave in the gutter after they have looked.

I don't WANT it to go in landfill, but it is because there isn't enough money to make recycling worth it.I heard on the news that plastic water bottles are in fact going into the landfill FROM recycling centers, not regular garbage cans. I don't have grandchildren, but I care too, so spare us the sanctimony about it.

I'm just pissed that the State keeps taking our money. Indirect taxation is just so damn sneaky. It's seeing the taxpayers as chumps that bugs me. The government is our enemy, not our ally.\

The end of my story was that on Saturday, when I went to the otherwise excellent El Cerrito recycling center to dump the bottles, the office they have was closed but they had informational sheets giving out addresses of pay-recycle places – the same ones that I had found were closed. So they are adding misinformation to the mix.
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According to many BARFers you should just move... ;)

Sorry you're in that situation. I just posted what works for me, and may for others.

All in all, "California Redemption" is a tax, and is a ripoff.

We just try to make it work as best we can.
 
HappyHighwayman said:
In Canada I would keep bottles and cans because they could be returned virtually anywhere. Most grocery stores had a processing machine. It's BS in CA where you need to return them to a recycling center? I mean, it's not really a "deposit" if you can't return it ton the company that sold it to you.

So..I just toss them in recycling bin.
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Same thing when I lived in massachusetts-they just had a row of machines at a lot of places. Mostly the liquor stores/supermarkets.

Nothing like getting cash in your hand and already being at the liquor store.
None of that money ever made it home :laughing
 
MysterYvil said:
According to many BARFers you should just move... ;)

Sorry you're in that situation. I just posted what works for me, and may for others.

All in all, "California Redemption" is a tax, and is a ripoff.

We just try to make it work as best we can.
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Thanks.:thumbup

But I wonder if you do have redemption places still open where you are in the vicinity?

As for Mass, when I was there, as well as in Germany, the catch to the machines was that whatever you were returning had to be a brand they sold at that particular market. Since the vast majority of my beer comes from Costco, I wish they had 'em there....
 
I have to assume their shitty system is designed to prevent people from recycling. Since I have no way of converting it to a non-shitty system, I don't return them, and they get recycled anyway.
 
HappyHighwayman said:
I have to assume their shitty system is designed to prevent people from recycling. Since I have no way of converting it to a non-shitty system, I don't return them, and they get recycled anyway.
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Basically, yes. But I wouldn't mind mounting resistance to the ongoing CRV scam. I was recycling before they put it back in and will likely always recycle anyway on principle. Happy to separate, just don't charge me if you won't refund it.

The mental projection of the behind-closed-doors deal that led to this situation darkens my mood. Something along the lines of "let's get these suckers to support this but we'll make it kinda hard so we can get that sweet tax money to play with." Up there with the Lotto, "for the children."
 
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Commodity prices are in the shitter right now, that's probably why redemption rates are dropping and facilities disappearing.
 
I get that for plastic bottles because they are made from oil, right? But what about glass? How does a lower price of oil make melting glass more expensive? What am I missing? And isn't aluminum still a big deal to mine and such? I can't redeem any of it.
 
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