Most MA Residents Don’t Recycle This Item, Money Being Burned

I remember as a kid growing up in the Berkshires, my dad would hold on to every can and bottle we had. We never threw them away. As a matter of fact. many of my dad's co-workers would give him cans and bottles to return at the redemption centers. You should have seen our basement, we had cans neatly stacked in the cardboard containers along with bottles all bagged up and ready to go. By the time my dad and I would return the cans in bottles, we would get back sometimes over $100 and he would give me a nice chunk of that for helping him out. Trust me, it was a process. If we were going out of town on vacation, he would call is can money his "vacation spending money." Those were certainly fun times as a kid.

Many Massachusetts Residents Don't Bother Returning Their Cans and Bottles

According to an article by CBS Boston, a new report from the Container Recycling Institute finds only 38% of eligible bottles were returned for a 5-cent deposit last year. That's down from 50% in 2019. In addition, Massachusetts has the lowest return rate of all states with bottle bills, according to the report. Neighboring New York had a 70% redemption rate in 2021.

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What If Massachusetts Started Offering a Dime Per Unit? 

Maybe it's the way I was raised but these figures blow my mind. Why woild people just throw their money away? I suppose a nickel isn't doing the trick these days in terms of being motivated to bag up your cans and bottles and bring them to the redemption center. Would you do it if you received a dime per unit? How about if more types of cans and bottles were redeemable in Massachusetts? There are talks about both of those things possibly becoming a reality which you can read more about by going here.

Just a personal recommendation. If you are looking for a good place that takes most to all of your cans and bottles without hassle, try Price Chopper, they don't turn many cans and bottles away. If the machines don't take them, the staff members usually will.

KEEP READING: Your bottle redemption money may come in handy. Here's why.