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posted by Fnord666 on Wednesday February 07 2018, @04:40PM   Printer-friendly
from the an-ATM-in-reverse dept.

UK 'could adopt Norway recycling system'

A Scandinavian system for recycling bottles is thought likely to be adopted in the UK. Advisers to government say the schemes have massively reduced plastic litter in the environment and seas. And a ministerial delegation has been to Norway to see if the UK should copy an industry-led scheme that recycles 98% of bottles. In the UK, figures show that only around half of all plastic bottles get recycled.

Norway claims to offer the most cost-efficient way of tackling plastic litter. The Norwegian government decided the best method would be to put a tax on every bottle that's not recycled - then leave the operating details of the scheme up to business.

It works like this: the consumer pays a deposit on every bottle, from 10p to 25p depending on size. They return it empty and post it into a machine which reads the barcode and produces a coupon for the deposit. If the careless consumer has left liquid in the bottle, the machine eats it anyway - but hands the deposit to the shopkeeper who'll need to empty the bottle.

Similar schemes are in operation in other Nordic nations, Germany, and some states in the US and Canada.


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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 07 2018, @05:23PM (5 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday February 07 2018, @05:23PM (#634439)

    So where exactly do you return them to or does no one except homeless bother, like in states?

  • (Score: 1) by tftp on Wednesday February 07 2018, @05:38PM (1 child)

    by tftp (806) on Wednesday February 07 2018, @05:38PM (#634449) Homepage
    Nobody, as far as I know, returns them - in the best case the bottles go to the recycling trash can. I faintly remember seeing and using one such machine in 1990-s, but not since then. Perhaps the tiny deposit value does not pay for gas and lost time.
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 08 2018, @09:16AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Thursday February 08 2018, @09:16AM (#634789)

      They can be returned at stores that sell them. But now it's become legal for those stores to turn away persons with > 6 cans or something stupid, forcing bottle collectors (the working impoverished) to cart them across town to the bottle recycling depot(s) for HALF the deposit amount.

      It's a classist change, "keep the grungies out of the groceries," which fucks them right over, in exchange for them doing dirty and unpleasant work.

      Essentially nobody with a job returns their own cans.

  • (Score: 2) by Freeman on Wednesday February 07 2018, @05:42PM

    by Freeman (732) on Wednesday February 07 2018, @05:42PM (#634453) Journal

    Last I knew, you just took them to the dump and they had facilities there for that. One place for recyclables, and one place for trash. I haven't actually done it, but I'm pretty sure that's how it works.

    --
    Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
  • (Score: 2) by Snow on Wednesday February 07 2018, @07:37PM

    by Snow (1601) on Wednesday February 07 2018, @07:37PM (#634513) Journal

    There are buildings all over the place (I have 3 that are each about 5 mins away from my house) that will accept the returns. You just dump all your cans and bottles on a table and they sort and count them for you. At the end, they usually give you a slip of paper to take to the cashier who gives you your money. These are dedicated places -- all they do is bottle returns.

    I have a corner of the garage for cans. I stack them up until I have between $50 and $100 worth, then take them all in at once.

  • (Score: 2) by vux984 on Wednesday February 07 2018, @08:49PM

    by vux984 (5045) on Wednesday February 07 2018, @08:49PM (#634563)

    Obviously access and programs varies a lot by province, and urban areas are better served than rural. But I've read that currently around 80% of beverage containers get recycled. And around here at least, there are several depots I can take bottles too. Some, like in grocery stores have low limits on what they'll accept at one time, others are more industrial scale and you can bring in a truckload at once if you like.