Empty Bottles and Cans

Empty Bottles and Cans

I see empty bottles and cans floating down the river every time I go out. I saw an article in Sail Magazine that said: “Most boaters don’t want to return to the docks with empties because of DUI laws.” They do not want to have people think they are boating drunk. 

I think it is more likely they just do not care. If they took them out in something so others cannot see them then they could bring them back the same way. I cannot remember seeing Dumpster Police checking what return boaters throw away. 

Back in the olden days when I was a kid there was a bottle deposit that got people to return bottles. We kids would collect soda and beer bottles and aluminum cans and turn them in for the deposit. I and my friends collected a pickup truck load of cans one summer in about 1 month. We got someone to take us to the recycle center to turn them in and we got our photo in the newspaper for bringing in 12 bags of cans. 

I would back a bottle and can deposit fee to help solve this problem. It would also be good for kids to make money. 8-) When I said this to a kid down the street he said “It aint worth the effort!”

Check out woundednature.org.