Replying to a message of Richard Webb to all:

 RW> Hello all!

 RW> Doing some housecleaning on this warm SAturday afternoon,
 RW> and got into a conversation with my lady about those dog
 RW> gone soda pop cans that used to accumulate around here, but
 RW> that we just toss in the regular garbage to be disposed of
 RW> when the truck comes by on MOnday morning.

 RW> Yah yah, I know, this stuff is recyclable.  Back in Iowa I
 RW> used to take them to the courtesy counter at the store, a
 RW> nickel a can, they had to be clean, and not crushed.

Most stores prefer not to handle the returnable deposit bottles and cans.
The reason is not only the hassle of getting their money, but the (usually)
unwashed bottles and cans attract insects, mice and rats.

There's a center in Red Oak that takes bottles (plastic and glass) and cans,
though; it's run by an outfit that provides jobs for people who are mildly retarded.
They'll take smashed and flattened aluminum cans, too, but they don't pay the
nickel deposit on them.  Apparently the cans and bottles have to be sorted by
manufacturer and returned to them, and the respective manufacturers reimburse
them for the expense.  I know that the center takes in several thousand cans and
bottles a day; dunno what they do with the glass bottles, there's no deposit involved
on them, only on plastic soda pop bottles.

The small towns around here have a recycle trailer for paper, plastic, cardboard
and non-deposit (steel or aluminum) cans.  It's not much of a bother to me to
separate that stuff out and take it in once a month or so.

One thing that bugs me about the bottle deposit system here is that it only
applies to soda pop bottles.  Iced tea and lemonade - among other things -
come in exactly the same bottles but there's no deposit on them.

--- FleetStreet 1.19+