Why do we get money for recycling?

Question

I recycle because its extra money I can use. But why do they give us money for our trash? And how do places determine how much they give you? I live in California by the way, but I always wondered that.

Answer 1

Some of it comes from the resell of the items you take in, But most of the money is tax money given to states and local governments.So you can say your bank acc.

Answer 2

I dont know how it works in the US- but in Australia its based on the polluter pays system- ie your not actually getting EXTRA money for your containers- the refund you get is tacked onto the can at the point of sale- it contributes to the costs paid by the manufacturer to have the product collected for recycling- you just LOSE the money if you discard the can- its a tax on the polluter- which can be had by the person who recycles the can and is only additional money if the recycler didnt pay for the can.....

When one-trip (non-refillable) beverage containers became common in South Australia in the 1970s, beverage manufacturers failed to introduce a return system for the containers as they couldn’t be refilled and were no use to them. This led to ‘single trip’ beverage packaging becoming a highly visible part of the litter stream and posing a potential threat to the environment. Based on the ‘polluter pays’ principle and reinforcing the existing return systems developed by industry, the South Australian Parliament passed the Beverage Container Act 1975, which became operational in 1977.



When a beverage is bought in South Australia, the price includes a small deposit; this deposit is refunded when the consumer returns the container to either a collection depot or a retailer (depending upon the refund information printed on the container). Consumers discarding the container lose the value of the deposit, which then becomes available to anyone who wants to collect the containers and seek the refund amount.

The recycling and reuse process has been set up by the establishment of companies called ‘super collectors’, who enter into contracts with collection depots and beverage manufacturers, distributors and wholesalers. The system guarantees that consumers are refunded and depots receive a handling fee. It also ensures that the responsibilities of both producers and consumers are maintained, from production to the collection of the empty containers for recycling, reuse, or disposal for energy recovery.

The process is as follows:

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The beverage manufacturer/wholesaler enters a contract with a super collector, and pays deposits and handling fees to the super collector to establish a collection system to recover containers sold with a refundable deposit.

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The beverage manufacturer/wholesaler incorporates these costs in the price of the product when selling to the retailer.

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The retailer passes these costs on to the consumer (as part of the total price of the product).

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The consumer (or the person who has collected the container) takes it to a depot or retailer and collects the refund.

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When the container is returned to the super collector, handling fees are paid to the collection depot.

Answer 3

1)someone pays a deposit on a product that the manufacturer whats back to reuse or refill

2)that product has gone through the expensive part of processing and can be melted .grinded or processed at a lower cost to make the final container or product at a profit to the manufacturer , big business will pay you a small fee to help them by bringing the used materials to them

Answer 4

It suppose to save money in the long run, because we would run out of places to dump our trash in our own state.   I also think it's a nicer way for our country to get the rich to give money to the poor.    Those who collect the cans do a service for our city, and show a token work for the money they recieve.

Answer 5

they are just rewarding us for being good citizen. to us yes its trash, but not to them.

Answer 6

"One person's trash is another person's treasure".

Ever heard that one?

It is much easier and cheaper to use materials that are already available, than it is to create it from scratch. Your trash is recycled to make other products, therefore keeping them out of our landfills, which also costs money to maintain. Less trash, less maintainence, less cost.

The prices are based on current economic factors, much like the price of gold, silver, etc.

Answer 7

Because its like rewarding you so you can keep doing it because they are running out of places to put it.

Answer 8

You are furnishing materials that will be sold to be reused.  You deserve something for that.