How Much Are They Worth Then?

[whistleblower]

Good post, so many Farangs are total aholes, especially on this website

Thanks, it just failed to go down well with me and it was not not the slightest bit funny or admirable in a million years.

Jumped up pratt.

Neither can he be too bright, boasting about his smoking when most smokers these days are in the frame of mind to keep quiet about that particuar form of suicide.

I am Mr. Angry and the fact that the totty seems to be a fellow Englishman makes me moreso.

chill out dude

[lovelomsak]

I separate glass, metal, paper and plastic as I go. When get a reasonable amount I give it to a local family.

I do much the same. I separate everything and wait till I have few bags full.Then i get on my motorcycle when I feel I have enough saved and go look for a person going through garbage for recycle. I enjoy watching them load up thei cart to the limit .Many times I help tie full plastic bags to side of the cart because it is to full to take it all. I also give them old appliances like fans, which they can fix or dismantle for parts and sell. I like to get one early in the morning so they can go to the recycle place early and get cash and if they want still have time to go about their regular route and make even more money that day.

[submaniac]

Rule 30) Do not modify someone else's post in your quoted reply, either with font or color changes, added emoticons, or altered wording.

Your post was not modified; all the words used were words written by you. There were no font or color changes, added emoticons, or altered wording. As in this response, the quote was shortened to make reference to what (particular passages) were being responded to in the response post. Furthermore, an original topic post (as was your post) in a thread does not have a "quote" button by which the entire message is copied. The "quoted" portions do not indicate that you were the original author (due to the fact that it could not be "quoted").

In, addition "your local Thais" wrote the response. I am merely the messenger. All complaints about said post should be brought up with "your local Thais".

Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.

[lovelomsak]

Horrible post.

Poking fun at less fortunates and then thinking you are a kind-hearted benefactor by giving her a bag full of bottles.

What a jerk!

You must be very short of cash yourself as you seem to be aware of every little baht's worth of everything you mention.

Be a person, give her 1000 and put the poor sole out of her obvious misery for at least a week.

Horrible post. Mocking the poor lady, thoroughly horrible.

What gives you the right to be so condescending to your fellow beings. She's probably worth ten times you.

Saddo.

She has a bigger house than mine which she owns, in the front has a almost brand new VW beetle and her husband drives a Camry. She's not a "poor old lady". She also takes letters and all sorts out of the bin as well. Feel free to attack though

If she is living that well with that many material things, perhaps she is going through your garbage to get info on you for whatever reason. Maybe she is hoping to find something in the trash to use for blackmail or credit card number or bank account number,who knows.

[BookMan]

Horrible post.

Poking fun at less fortunates and then thinking you are a kind-hearted benefactor by giving her a bag full of bottles.

What a jerk!

You must be very short of cash yourself as you seem to be aware of every little baht's worth of everything you mention.

Be a person, give her 1000 and put the poor sole out of her obvious misery for at least a week.

Horrible post. Mocking the poor lady, thoroughly horrible.

What gives you the right to be so condescending to your fellow beings. She's probably worth ten times you.

Saddo.

She has a bigger house than mine which she owns, in the front has a almost brand new VW beetle and her husband drives a Camry. She's not a "poor old lady". She also takes letters and all sorts out of the bin as well. Feel free to attack though

If she is living that well with that many material things, perhaps she is going through your garbage to get info on you for whatever reason. Maybe she is hoping to find something in the trash to use for blackmail or credit card number or bank account number,who knows.

Bottles have obviously paid dividends for her.

A serious question: Do these trash recyclers have their own protected areas? Or is it first in first served?

Edited September 3, 2012 by BookMan

[Soutpeel]

Horrible post.

Poking fun at less fortunates and then thinking you are a kind-hearted benefactor by giving her a bag full of bottles.

What a jerk!

You must be very short of cash yourself as you seem to be aware of every little baht's worth of everything you mention.

Be a person, give her 1000 and put the poor sole out of her obvious misery for at least a week.

Horrible post. Mocking the poor lady, thoroughly horrible.

What gives you the right to be so condescending to your fellow beings. She's probably worth ten times you.

Saddo.

She has a bigger house than mine which she owns, in the front has a almost brand new VW beetle and her husband drives a Camry. She's not a "poor old lady". She also takes letters and all sorts out of the bin as well. Feel free to attack though

If she is living that well with that many material things, perhaps she is going through your garbage to get info on you for whatever reason. Maybe she is hoping to find something in the trash to use for blackmail or credit card number or bank account number,who knows.

Maybe she is a police informant or uncover copper spying on the local farangs who are corrupting Thai society

[Pseudolus]

Rule 30) Do not modify someone else's post in your quoted reply, either with font or color changes, added emoticons, or altered wording.

Your post was not modified; all the words used were words written by you. There were no font or color changes, added emoticons, or altered wording. As in this response, the quote was shortened to make reference to what (particular passages) were being responded to in the response post. Furthermore, an original topic post (as was your post) in a thread does not have a "quote" button by which the entire message is copied. The "quoted" portions do not indicate that you were the original author (due to the fact that it could not be "quoted").

In, addition "your local Thais" wrote the response. I am merely the messenger. All complaints about said post should be brought up with "your local Thais".

Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.

Dear K Submaniac

I draw your attention to the phrase "altered wording" in that you removed a significant proportion of the quoted wording. The alteration is the complete removal of 2 paragraphs. Please don't drag this off topic to start a bun fight.

Someone did post a few weeks ago about lack of recycling in Thailand and no one mentioned that Thailand, through the selling of this stuff, most likely is one of the most recycled countries in the world. I would guess that 90% + of plastics, tins and glass are recycled which is a very good thing indeed. Also, the main thing that stops people from recycling (laziness I guess) is removed from the equation. It is quite a good model in many respects. It is not the poor down and outs that do this though - there are at least 5 households in my village where the ladies scurry around at various times of day and night collecting stuff from bins.They are certainly not down and outs but middle class house wives.

[Pseudolus]

Horrible post.

Poking fun at less fortunates and then thinking you are a kind-hearted benefactor by giving her a bag full of bottles.

What a jerk!

You must be very short of cash yourself as you seem to be aware of every little baht's worth of everything you mention.

Be a person, give her 1000 and put the poor sole out of her obvious misery for at least a week.

Horrible post. Mocking the poor lady, thoroughly horrible.

What gives you the right to be so condescending to your fellow beings. She's probably worth ten times you.

Saddo.

She has a bigger house than mine which she owns, in the front has a almost brand new VW beetle and her husband drives a Camry. She's not a "poor old lady". She also takes letters and all sorts out of the bin as well. Feel free to attack though

If she is living that well with that many material things, perhaps she is going through your garbage to get info on you for whatever reason. Maybe she is hoping to find something in the trash to use for blackmail or credit card number or bank account number,who knows.

Bottles have obviously paid dividends for her.

A serious question: Do these trash recyclers have their own protected areas? Or is it first in first served?

I think the people with the carts have "patches" and most likely tip the guards to protect it. They can't stop the ladies in the village collecting though and they seem to walk about at different times hoping to get lucky.

[BookMan]

Rule 30) Do not modify someone else's post in your quoted reply, either with font or color changes, added emoticons, or altered wording.

Your post was not modified; all the words used were words written by you. There were no font or color changes, added emoticons, or altered wording. As in this response, the quote was shortened to make reference to what (particular passages) were being responded to in the response post. Furthermore, an original topic post (as was your post) in a thread does not have a "quote" button by which the entire message is copied. The "quoted" portions do not indicate that you were the original author (due to the fact that it could not be "quoted").

In, addition "your local Thais" wrote the response. I am merely the messenger. All complaints about said post should be brought up with "your local Thais".

Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.

Dear K Submaniac

I draw your attention to the phrase "altered wording" in that you removed a significant proportion of the quoted wording. The alteration is the complete removal of 2 paragraphs. Please don't drag this off topic to start a bun fight.

Someone did post a few weeks ago about lack of recycling in Thailand and no one mentioned that Thailand, through the selling of this stuff, most likely is one of the most recycled countries in the world. I would guess that 90% + of plastics, tins and glass are recycled which is a very good thing indeed. Also, the main thing that stops people from recycling (laziness I guess) is removed from the equation. It is quite a good model in many respects. It is not the poor down and outs that do this though - there are at least 5 households in my village where the ladies scurry around at various times of day and night collecting stuff from bins.They are certainly not down and outs but middle class house wives.

It is a great system.

I've met numerous people in Australia who make their living re-selling items they find on kerbside cleanups (for free) on ebay and at markets, as well as collecting and re-selling scrap metal.

Put a few Thais out there collecting and there would be almost nothing to be picked up by the garbage truck

[submaniac]

I draw your attention to the phrase "altered wording" in that you removed a significant proportion of the quoted wording. The alteration is the complete removal of 2 paragraphs. Please don't drag this off topic to start a bun fight.

I am not trying to make this into a "bun fight". However, sooner or later one of the moderators is going to click on this thread and I do not want to be accused of any forum rules.

Rule 30 states:

"Rule 30) Do not modify someone else's post in your quoted reply, either with font or color changes, added emoticons, or altered wording.".

The rule does not state that any modification whatsoever is disallowed; it states that the modification may not be done by certain means "either with font or color changes, added emoticons, or altered wording."

To state that a response utilizing only a portion of the entire post is a draconian reading of the rules. If that were the case whenever anyone wants to make a specific response to a specific portion of the quoted passage, then the entire post would have to be quoted. This would waste space on this forum, when all that is being responded to is one or two sentences.

[StreetCowboy]

Why so negative? I had to glue the plastic bottle on the bin to stop her taking it. I find it very useful for a reason that I can not be bothered to go into. it is on the outside, with the top cut off, and it something I have always done. My thread was about asking how much they sell the bottles for.

Cans - really? 1 baht a can? I don't drink beer really, but after a party a few months ago in a different house I gave all the cans to some poor old duffer. No wonder he was happy with that. Just out of interest, cans from food - they are considerably heavier - do they get more then?

The big money is in aluminium cans. Aluminium is a difficult and tiresome metal to produce from ore. Fifteen years ago in England we used to get 35p a kilo for aluminium cans, nothing for steel cans (food, mcEwans Export, Thwaites' Lancashire Bitter) but at least the collection company took them away.

The recycling chaps that service my condo take plastic bottles (PET), paper and card, cans,but not bottles (heavy and low value). I don't think that they've got a good pricing structure, but they pay a little bit. They also take scrap appliances, I think.

SC

[maxme]

I just love how many people are biting... especially Submaniac...

Me think he intentionally wanna involve some people in this debate and look how they are snapping.

[Pseudolus]

Why so negative? I had to glue the plastic bottle on the bin to stop her taking it. I find it very useful for a reason that I can not be bothered to go into. it is on the outside, with the top cut off, and it something I have always done. My thread was about asking how much they sell the bottles for.

Cans - really? 1 baht a can? I don't drink beer really, but after a party a few months ago in a different house I gave all the cans to some poor old duffer. No wonder he was happy with that. Just out of interest, cans from food - they are considerably heavier - do they get more then?

The big money is in aluminium cans. Aluminium is a difficult and tiresome metal to produce from ore. Fifteen years ago in England we used to get 35p a kilo for aluminium cans, nothing for steel cans (food, mcEwans Export, Thwaites' Lancashire Bitter) but at least the collection company took them away.

The recycling chaps that service my condo take plastic bottles (PET), paper and card, cans,but not bottles (heavy and low value). I don't think that they've got a good pricing structure, but they pay a little bit. They also take scrap appliances, I think.

SC

It's the magnet test isn't it? Anything that is magnetic is not aluminium or is it the other way round.

[StreetCowboy]

I just love how many people are biting... especially Submaniac...

Me think he intentionally wanna involve some people in this debate and look how they are snapping.

Personally, I thought it was a fair question.

Also, gave rise to fair questions on management of recycling, which could have gone off into the role of organised crime (or not) in recycling, comparison wth different countries, the relative value of cardboard, aluminium, PET, glass, etc.

I've recounted the refuse management arrangements in Taiwan numerous times, so I'll not bore you with it here again, but they have one of the most aggressive domestic waste management programmes I have seen anywhere - but it must be expensive. Maybe cheaper than landfill, though...

SC

[StreetCowboy]

Why so negative? I had to glue the plastic bottle on the bin to stop her taking it. I find it very useful for a reason that I can not be bothered to go into. it is on the outside, with the top cut off, and it something I have always done. My thread was about asking how much they sell the bottles for.

Cans - really? 1 baht a can? I don't drink beer really, but after a party a few months ago in a different house I gave all the cans to some poor old duffer. No wonder he was happy with that. Just out of interest, cans from food - they are considerably heavier - do they get more then?

The big money is in aluminium cans. Aluminium is a difficult and tiresome metal to produce from ore. Fifteen years ago in England we used to get 35p a kilo for aluminium cans, nothing for steel cans (food, mcEwans Export, Thwaites' Lancashire Bitter) but at least the collection company took them away.

The recycling chaps that service my condo take plastic bottles (PET), paper and card, cans,but not bottles (heavy and low value). I don't think that they've got a good pricing structure, but they pay a little bit. They also take scrap appliances, I think.

SC

It's the magnet test isn't it? Anything that is magnetic is not aluminium or is it the other way round.

Correct. Surprisingly, the guys that come round to my condo don't discriminate, and just take the lot. Luckily, I don't have a lot of food cans, so they don't lose out.

SC

[BookMan]

Why so negative? I had to glue the plastic bottle on the bin to stop her taking it. I find it very useful for a reason that I can not be bothered to go into. it is on the outside, with the top cut off, and it something I have always done. My thread was about asking how much they sell the bottles for.

Cans - really? 1 baht a can? I don't drink beer really, but after a party a few months ago in a different house I gave all the cans to some poor old duffer. No wonder he was happy with that. Just out of interest, cans from food - they are considerably heavier - do they get more then?

The big money is in aluminium cans. Aluminium is a difficult and tiresome metal to produce from ore. Fifteen years ago in England we used to get 35p a kilo for aluminium cans, nothing for steel cans (food, mcEwans Export, Thwaites' Lancashire Bitter) but at least the collection company took them away.

The recycling chaps that service my condo take plastic bottles (PET), paper and card, cans,but not bottles (heavy and low value). I don't think that they've got a good pricing structure, but they pay a little bit. They also take scrap appliances, I think.

SC

It's the magnet test isn't it? Anything that is magnetic is not aluminium or is it the other way round.

Correct. Surprisingly, the guys that come round to my condo don't discriminate, and just take the lot. Luckily, I don't have a lot of food cans, so they don't lose out.

SC

I imagine that it also has something to do with space? The cans and plastic bottles and card and paper can be compacted, while the bottle cant be?

[StreetCowboy]

...

I imagine that it also has something to do with space? The cans and plastic bottles and card and paper can be compacted, while the bottle cant be?

In the UK, the bottles are smashed by dropping them into the container, which compacts them a little bit. But I really don't think that broken glass is of any great value.

In days of old, or so I'm told,

the brewery would give you a shilling and then

They'd take the bottle back to use again

But if the bottle was broken, it was worthless.

There' a number of reasons why such recycling isn't economic now:

1) Increasing cost of labour v materials

2) Difficulty in assuring quality of recycled bottles - and the increased quality expectations of consumers

3) Greater variety and consumer choice; you no longer have virtual local monopolies on beer or lemonade (partly due to v. low cost of logistics nowadays)

4) Consumer preference for lighter, more convenient packaging materials - and probably lower initial cost. Although PET material may be more expensive, it's very easy to form.

5) No doorstep deliveries / collection of returns - whether by dairies or lemonade companies (or breweries, if they ever did this...)

I remember when I was many years younger than I am today, in France the local wine came in a bottle with three stars on the neck, indicating there was a franc back on the bottle. Now, the same wine comes in an easily crushed PET bottle.

SC

[bonobo]

This thread started out as a question and has devolved into a flamefest and a discussion on ThaiVisa posting policies. Some posts have been deleted.

Threads can meander as they will, but not become a stage for flaming. Further such posts might result in suspensions and the thread being closed.

[BookMan]

...

I imagine that it also has something to do with space? The cans and plastic bottles and card and paper can be compacted, while the bottle cant be?

In the UK, the bottles are smashed by dropping them into the container, which compacts them a little bit. But I really don't think that broken glass is of any great value.

In days of old, or so I'm told,

the brewery would give you a shilling and then

They'd take the bottle back to use again

But if the bottle was broken, it was worthless.

There' a number of reasons why such recycling isn't economic now:

1) Increasing cost of labour v materials

2) Difficulty in assuring quality of recycled bottles - and the increased quality expectations of consumers

3) Greater variety and consumer choice; you no longer have virtual local monopolies on beer or lemonade (partly due to v. low cost of logistics nowadays)

4) Consumer preference for lighter, more convenient packaging materials - and probably lower initial cost. Although PET material may be more expensive, it's very easy to form.

5) No doorstep deliveries / collection of returns - whether by dairies or lemonade companies (or breweries, if they ever did this...)

I remember when I was many years younger than I am today, in France the local wine came in a bottle with three stars on the neck, indicating there was a franc back on the bottle. Now, the same wine comes in an easily crushed PET bottle.

SC

I would have thought due to the decreased amount of players in the beverage market worldwide, it would make it easier and less costly to have mandatory deposit schemes. Economies of scale and all that.

Of course, although cheaper on a large scale to collect the bottles from point of purchase, the multinational beverage companies and their local bottlers have no interest in recycling schemes (return deposit to place of purchase) as it adds to the cost of their product and they then have to organise the pick up of empty bottles and the time and money that goes with the logistics and storage of such. In Australia the beverage industry actively campaigns against it. One state (SA) does a compulsory deposit scheme of 10 cents/3baht a bottle/can and they have a much higher recycling rate than the other states.

[Pseudolus]

...

I imagine that it also has something to do with space? The cans and plastic bottles and card and paper can be compacted, while the bottle cant be?

In the UK, the bottles are smashed by dropping them into the container, which compacts them a little bit. But I really don't think that broken glass is of any great value.

In days of old, or so I'm told,

the brewery would give you a shilling and then

They'd take the bottle back to use again

But if the bottle was broken, it was worthless.

There' a number of reasons why such recycling isn't economic now:

1) Increasing cost of labour v materials

2) Difficulty in assuring quality of recycled bottles - and the increased quality expectations of consumers

3) Greater variety and consumer choice; you no longer have virtual local monopolies on beer or lemonade (partly due to v. low cost of logistics nowadays)

4) Consumer preference for lighter, more convenient packaging materials - and probably lower initial cost. Although PET material may be more expensive, it's very easy to form.

5) No doorstep deliveries / collection of returns - whether by dairies or lemonade companies (or breweries, if they ever did this...)

I remember when I was many years younger than I am today, in France the local wine came in a bottle with three stars on the neck, indicating there was a franc back on the bottle. Now, the same wine comes in an easily crushed PET bottle.

SC

I would have thought due to the decreased amount of players in the beverage market worldwide, it would make it easier and less costly to have mandatory deposit schemes. Economies of scale and all that.

Of course, although cheaper on a large scale to collect the bottles from point of purchase, the multinational beverage companies and their local bottlers have no interest in recycling schemes (return deposit to place of purchase) as it adds to the cost of their product and they then have to organise the pick up of empty bottles and the time and money that goes with the logistics and storage of such. In Australia the beverage industry actively campaigns against it. One state (SA) does a compulsory deposit scheme of 10 cents/3baht a bottle/can and they have a much higher recycling rate than the other states.

I bought a tin of wood stain after the flooding, and was told that if I return the tin I would get 100 baht back. Even had it written on the can in Thai. That's got to be a winner though - 100 baht a tin (one of the big ones). R Whites lemonade used to have a few pennies back on the bottle I recall - I get the feeling that the coke / pepsi bottles are not paid upon return but more they lose a deposit against them if they do not return them - thats what they do with gas bottles / big water bottles in some places of the world.

[StreetCowboy]

...

I imagine that it also has something to do with space? The cans and plastic bottles and card and paper can be compacted, while the bottle cant be?

In the UK, the bottles are smashed by dropping them into the container, which compacts them a little bit. But I really don't think that broken glass is of any great value.

In days of old, or so I'm told,

the brewery would give you a shilling and then

They'd take the bottle back to use again

But if the bottle was broken, it was worthless.

There' a number of reasons why such recycling isn't economic now:

1) Increasing cost of labour v materials

2) Difficulty in assuring quality of recycled bottles - and the increased quality expectations of consumers

3) Greater variety and consumer choice; you no longer have virtual local monopolies on beer or lemonade (partly due to v. low cost of logistics nowadays)

4) Consumer preference for lighter, more convenient packaging materials - and probably lower initial cost. Although PET material may be more expensive, it's very easy to form.

5) No doorstep deliveries / collection of returns - whether by dairies or lemonade companies (or breweries, if they ever did this...)

I remember when I was many years younger than I am today, in France the local wine came in a bottle with three stars on the neck, indicating there was a franc back on the bottle. Now, the same wine comes in an easily crushed PET bottle.

SC

I would have thought due to the decreased amount of players in the beverage market worldwide, it would make it easier and less costly to have mandatory deposit schemes. Economies of scale and all that.

Of course, although cheaper on a large scale to collect the bottles from point of purchase, the multinational beverage companies and their local bottlers have no interest in recycling schemes (return deposit to place of purchase) as it adds to the cost of their product and they then have to organise the pick up of empty bottles and the time and money that goes with the logistics and storage of such. In Australia the beverage industry actively campaigns against it. One state (SA) does a compulsory deposit scheme of 10 cents/3baht a bottle/can and they have a much higher recycling rate than the other states.

How much does that add on to the cost of the product, and how much does it reduce the choice available to the consumer?

I think in the UK people voted with their feet and their wallets that they would rather buy milk in cardboard cartons in the supermarket than in reusable glass bottles at the doorstep.

SC

[submaniac]

^

In California the deposits are mandatory. Off the top of my head I think it is 10 cents a bottle for a liter bottle of any softdrink. You can't really get around it because no matter what soft drink you buy, you have to pay a deposit to recycle. If you don't return the bottle for recycling, the state keeps the deposit.

[Pseudolus]

...

I imagine that it also has something to do with space? The cans and plastic bottles and card and paper can be compacted, while the bottle cant be?

In the UK, the bottles are smashed by dropping them into the container, which compacts them a little bit. But I really don't think that broken glass is of any great value.

In days of old, or so I'm told,

the brewery would give you a shilling and then

They'd take the bottle back to use again

But if the bottle was broken, it was worthless.

There' a number of reasons why such recycling isn't economic now:

1) Increasing cost of labour v materials

2) Difficulty in assuring quality of recycled bottles - and the increased quality expectations of consumers

3) Greater variety and consumer choice; you no longer have virtual local monopolies on beer or lemonade (partly due to v. low cost of logistics nowadays)

4) Consumer preference for lighter, more convenient packaging materials - and probably lower initial cost. Although PET material may be more expensive, it's very easy to form.

5) No doorstep deliveries / collection of returns - whether by dairies or lemonade companies (or breweries, if they ever did this...)

I remember when I was many years younger than I am today, in France the local wine came in a bottle with three stars on the neck, indicating there was a franc back on the bottle. Now, the same wine comes in an easily crushed PET bottle.

SC

I would have thought due to the decreased amount of players in the beverage market worldwide, it would make it easier and less costly to have mandatory deposit schemes. Economies of scale and all that.

Of course, although cheaper on a large scale to collect the bottles from point of purchase, the multinational beverage companies and their local bottlers have no interest in recycling schemes (return deposit to place of purchase) as it adds to the cost of their product and they then have to organise the pick up of empty bottles and the time and money that goes with the logistics and storage of such. In Australia the beverage industry actively campaigns against it. One state (SA) does a compulsory deposit scheme of 10 cents/3baht a bottle/can and they have a much higher recycling rate than the other states.

How much does that add on to the cost of the product, and how much does it reduce the choice available to the consumer?

I think in the UK people voted with their feet and their wallets that they would rather buy milk in cardboard cartons in the supermarket than in reusable glass bottles at the doorstep.

SC

People kept knicking my bottle of skimmed each day when I lived in Canterbury. I had completely forgotten that I had signed up to the milk run each morning and only remembered when I got a bill for the first week and suddenly realised I had not received one bottle yet. Still had to pay of course, but then cancelled.

@Bonobo - you seem to have missed about 6 off topic and flame posts by the way...just sayin...

[Soutpeel]

^

In California the deposits are mandatory. Off the top of my head I think it is 10 cents a bottle for a liter bottle of any softdrink. You can't really get around it because no matter what soft drink you buy, you have to pay a deposit to recycle. If you don't return the bottle for recycling, the state keeps the deposit.

I didnt realise California used the metric system, finally the US catches up with the rest of world...

[submaniac]

Funny you should mention it, but I think that's the only thing that is metric. (and it should be 10 cents for a 2 liter bottle, but the battery on my wireless keyboard is dying so it's missing characters every now and then). Everything else is still the British Imperial System.

[Beechboy]

...

I imagine that it also has something to do with space? The cans and plastic bottles and card and paper can be compacted, while the bottle cant be?

In the UK, the bottles are smashed by dropping them into the container, which compacts them a little bit. But I really don't think that broken glass is of any great value.

In days of old, or so I'm told,

the brewery would give you a shilling and then

They'd take the bottle back to use again

But if the bottle was broken, it was worthless.

There' a number of reasons why such recycling isn't economic now:

1) Increasing cost of labour v materials

2) Difficulty in assuring quality of recycled bottles - and the increased quality expectations of consumers

3) Greater variety and consumer choice; you no longer have virtual local monopolies on beer or lemonade (partly due to v. low cost of logistics nowadays)

4) Consumer preference for lighter, more convenient packaging materials - and probably lower initial cost. Although PET material may be more expensive, it's very easy to form.

5) No doorstep deliveries / collection of returns - whether by dairies or lemonade companies (or breweries, if they ever did this...)

I remember when I was many years younger than I am today, in France the local wine came in a bottle with three stars on the neck, indicating there was a franc back on the bottle. Now, the same wine comes in an easily crushed PET bottle.

SC

I would have thought due to the decreased amount of players in the beverage market worldwide, it would make it easier and less costly to have mandatory deposit schemes. Economies of scale and all that.

Of course, although cheaper on a large scale to collect the bottles from point of purchase, the multinational beverage companies and their local bottlers have no interest in recycling schemes (return deposit to place of purchase) as it adds to the cost of their product and they then have to organise the pick up of empty bottles and the time and money that goes with the logistics and storage of such. In Australia the beverage industry actively campaigns against it. One state (SA) does a compulsory deposit scheme of 10 cents/3baht a bottle/can and they have a much higher recycling rate than the other states.

How much does that add on to the cost of the product, and how much does it reduce the choice available to the consumer?

I think in the UK people voted with their feet and their wallets that they would rather buy milk in cardboard cartons in the supermarket than in reusable glass bottles at the doorstep.

SC

Plus that chink chink noise and constant bottle rattling at about 6am every morning always woke everybody up prematurely.

Edited September 3, 2012 by Beechboy

[Pseudolus]

Plus that chink chink noise and constant bottle rattling at about 6am every morning always woke everybody up prematurely.

I used to quite like that. The kings of recycling, and were years ahead of the trend for electric vehicles.

[Soutpeel]

Plus that chink chink noise and constant bottle rattling at about 6am every morning always woke everybody up prematurely.

thats a rather racist sentance dont you think, what have you got against the chinks...?

[maxme]

Plus that chink chink noise and constant bottle rattling at about 6am every morning always woke everybody up prematurely.

thats a rather racist sentance dont you think, what have you got against the chinks...?

I was just waiting for someone to comment that...

[BookMan]

How much does that add on to the cost of the product, and how much does it reduce the choice available to the consumer?

I think in the UK people voted with their feet and their wallets that they would rather buy milk in cardboard cartons in the supermarket than in reusable glass bottles at the doorstep.

SC

I'm not sure how much it adds to the cost. There is a 5 cent mandatory deposit on all plastic containers also, which may include milk cartons.

I think it is about reusing and minimising landfill waste not just the re use of glass.

Edited September 3, 2012 by BookMan