said by Andy from CA:WRT recycling cans and bottles, how many here remember the machines they used to have in front of supermarkets?...
Those eventually went away and were replaced by manned recycling centers. The machines worked by reading the barcode on a can or bottle, so you couldn't crush them for storage or remove the label, and they were notoriously finicky about putting the container in with the barcode facing a certain direction, along with being out of order much of the time.
Since one had to insert containers one at a time and there were usually just two machines per location, a long line tended to form. Another problem is that containers that were rejected by the machine as not eligible were left behind, filling trash cans and grocery carts at the stores that hosted these recycling machines.
The machines were also located at Ralphs and Food For Less grocery stores in the LA area.
I have a hunch that those machines were 'gamed' by either their operators or customers, which might have contributed to their removal. Let's just say that the only thing the machines looked for was the barcode, and plastic containers the machines accepted were then shredded on the spot to conserve space in the storage bins.
said by aztecnology:Spending money to enforce this seems like a waste, as well as driving out of state to bring in recyclables seems like you would spend more in gas than what you would redeem...
If you bring in 500 lbs of aluminum a day or a semi full at one time it would more than pay for the diesel fuel and manpower to do it; don't need to drive clear across the state, just to the nearest friendly recycling center on the CA side.
Since the recycling laws were passed an entire bureaucracy has grown around management and enforcement. When that happens it becomes all but impossible to get rid of. Also the state collects sales tax on those nickels and dimes and they won't give that up without a fight.
With recycling rates near 100% I think it's time. Californians have grown accustomed to recycling by now.
