Recycling has gone to far! [ Archive] - GasSavers.org - Helping You Save at the Pump

I want a shirt that says "Drink Responsibly: Buy In Returnable Containers" or something to that affect, the three "R"s in waist reduction are Reduce, Reuse, and last of all, Recycle, I've been noticing more and more breweries scrap the idea of returnable cases of beer, why? because people don't buy them (returnable is the cheapest way to buy beer, other then making your own), and if they do, they don't bring them back! I've talked to a number of people who bartend, who say that all the bottles go in the recycling, returnable and non returnable! and bars of all places should be where bottles are saved, and sent back to the brewery, now I don't think this should be a crime, it just shouldn't be an issue! all bottles should be returnable, if there is going to be curb side pick up they should not crush all the glass, melt it down, and reshape it in to a new bottle, it was already in the shape of a bottle, a bottle that could be (if made out of slightly heavier glass) starlized refilled, and sold again.
So why is that not happening? because to have it work they have to get 4 uses out of each bottle, they used to get dozens if not hundreds of uses out of each bottle (look at old coke bottles) but then someone got the bright idea to market to people who are afrade of germs, to start selling "fresh new bottles every time" and then in the early 90's there was a push to recycle everything, and the more people got in to recycling, the fewer returnable bottles got taken back.
from what I've been able to find, it takes around 15 watts (hours? they were not clear) to stairlize a bottle and have it ready to refill, it takes around 150 watts to melt a bottle down, and make it in to a new bottle ready to fill, now I'm not sure if those numbers are correct, but heating water till it's steam, and steam cleaning the inside of a bottle seems like alot less energy then it takes to melt down 2-3 ounces of glass.
at least in this part of wisconsin we are down to 3 breweries who still sell in returnable cases, and one creamery that we can get milk in returnable half gallon jugs, the beer cases are still only a $1.25 cash value, and have been at that value for the last 20+ years, where I think they should be closer to $5 per case, where as the milk we get has $1.50 deposit per jug, and they don't seem to have any problem at all selling it, and people alwas bring the jug back!

10 years ago when I was in Mexico, you could get soda in two liter plastic returnable bottles, along with of course the glass bottles, I kept a plastic bottle for use in making my own soda, and the thing is tuff, it will be around forever!

so I have to wonder how much longer it will be befor we have no choice in bottles being recycled insted of reused.

The difference in mexico is that they are very poor compared to the US. If you want to give up most of your wealth in order to return a bottle, that's fine with me.

When I was in mexico I got glass bottle soda at the gas stations and returned the bottles and the rebottled the soda there, which is nice.

Unfortunately, I don't think people in the US want used bottles. Another reason for me not to drink...

ah, so we can aford to be wastful? that explanes all the SUV's, and disposible junk in our lives, take a look in your trash can, how much of that stuff was designed to be trash?
You can drive a small car if you want to be poor, you can live some place that has better public transit if you want to be poor, you can use refillable bottles if you want to be poor, we shouldn't be wastful just because we can aford to!

we got where we are thru choices we all made, and alot of people are not at all aware of some of the choices they are making.

I'm not saying that those things make you poor, I'm saying poverty creates those things.

Waste is a luxury, people like luxury. I believe in attacking the problem of avarice because it is the cause of so many others.

I totally agree with you. I homebrew so I only buy beer that is in bottles that are pop top (not twist off). I really don't know why bottles are recycled instead of reused. I use mine over and over and over again and they work just great, even after having multiple caps on them. (it's very seldom that I break a bottle neck during capping).

I'm all for homebrewing though. I grow my own hops as well. It's so much cheaper to brew my own beer. And so much more fun too!!

Drink Responsibly:
http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/beverage/images/beer_01.jpg
Buy In Returnable Containers

As far as beer bottles go. New production beer bottles are made at about 500 bottles per. min. I use to work in a glass plant. Hell on earth they are. Some plants are in the 700 to 800 bottle per min. in production. I think one would be hard pressed to wash and sanitize bottles at 25% that rate.

i say forget recycling. try reusing. i make beer. send your beer bottles to me!

Advertising does amazing things.

The more resources that people have to replace with their hard-earned dollar, the more profits get made. To hell with the environment or our profligate consuption of the world's natural resources.

I recycle everything I can. My parents think I'm crazy. Oh well.

That is awesome that you guys are homebrewing. Recycling seems to use a lot more energy than re use. Around here there is this huge truck that drives around getting 4 MPG collecting all of the recycling. It might make sense if it came once every two months, but it comes once a week. This is in addition to the trash. This is in the countryside in vermont on dirt roads. It seems like such a waste that I try not to buy containers i can't reuse.
Its all about buying the large beers with the pop top, then I can return them to my friend who brews. Cheers to all of those who are bringing up this important issue on gassavers.

Also, I love how the beer bottles are reused in Mexico. I think this is the way to go, and I am sure they have a quick and efficient way to sterilize the bottles as they do it on such a large scale.