4 ms·

I think the best way is to follow the German solution: When you buy a bottle/can, you place a collateral there for each bottle, like 50 cent per bottle. You onl

I think the best way is to follow the German solution: When you buy a bottle/can, you place a collateral there for each bottle, like 50 cent per bottle. You only get the deposit back when you return the bottles to some supermarket. I really like this model, and it works over here. Of course, you still need a working recycling chain, but at least it incentives individual people to properly bring their rubbish to the recycling places.

Huh1337 4y ago
But the problem is not in this part of the chain. The states then take their collected plastic waste and ship it away - and that's what we're reading about here in TFA. Collecting the waste is not so hard - today you have automated sorting lines that can separate plastic waste from other waste and some people are saying it's actually better than separating the waste during collection because maintaining separate plastic waste/other waste disposal infrastructures comes out as more costly and less ecological (2 specialized trucks instead of 1 general, etc). This whole problem is about what's done with the collected waste after it leaves the garbage bins at stores or elsewhere.
titzer 4y ago
Indeed, and some of the plastic bottles are actually really thick and heavy and are reused, e.g. the Adelholzener ones, which they claim they reuse up to 15x: https://www.adelholzener.de/nachhaltigkeit-und-werte/zukunftsfitte-verpackungen/ https://www.adelholzener.de/nachhaltigkeit-und-werte/zukunft...
- thfuran 4y ago
  Are they significantly less than 15x thicker and heavier than the cheap, single-use alternatives?
rootusrootus 4y ago
> the German solution Created in 2003, about 32 years after Oregon created the first bottle bill. Which reminds me, I need to take the bin of cans to the local drop site.
- super256 4y ago
  TIL. I must say that I'm quite surprised that such a bill was first introduced in the US.
  - kube-system 4y ago
    9 of the 10 US states with bottle deposits implemented those laws in the late 70s or early 80s. The relative autonomy of US states often means that states can move very quickly to pass progressive laws, even though the US is well known for legislative friction at the federal level.

Huh1337 4y ago

But the problem is not in this part of the chain. The states then take their collected plastic waste and ship it away - and that's what we're reading about here in TFA. Collecting the waste is not so hard - today you have automated sorting lines that can separate plastic waste from other waste and some people are saying it's actually better than separating the waste during collection because maintaining separate plastic waste/other waste disposal infrastructures comes out as more costly and less ecological (2 specialized trucks instead of 1 general, etc). This whole problem is about what's done with the collected waste after it leaves the garbage bins at stores or elsewhere.

titzer 4y ago

Indeed, and some of the plastic bottles are actually really thick and heavy and are reused, e.g. the Adelholzener ones, which they claim they reuse up to 15x: https://www.adelholzener.de/nachhaltigkeit-und-werte/zukunftsfitte-verpackungen/ https://www.adelholzener.de/nachhaltigkeit-und-werte/zukunft...

thfuran 4y ago
Are they significantly less than 15x thicker and heavier than the cheap, single-use alternatives?

rootusrootus 4y ago

> the German solution Created in 2003, about 32 years after Oregon created the first bottle bill. Which reminds me, I need to take the bin of cans to the local drop site.

super256 4y ago
TIL. I must say that I'm quite surprised that such a bill was first introduced in the US.
- kube-system 4y ago
  9 of the 10 US states with bottle deposits implemented those laws in the late 70s or early 80s. The relative autonomy of US states often means that states can move very quickly to pass progressive laws, even though the US is well known for legislative friction at the federal level.