# Is it time for Soda to resume using returnable Glass Bottles and charge a deposit? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 31, 2019, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-time-for-soda-to-resume-using-returnable-glass-bottles-and-charge-a-deposit/837938 "2019-07-31T17:29:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2019, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-time-for-soda-to-resume-using-returnable-glass-bottles-and-charge-a-deposit/837938/21 "2019-07-31T19:10:44Z")
I wouldn’t mind having the choice in the store- plastic/glass bottles. I’m less enthused about it being legislated, but I’d certainly opt for the glass bottles. It would be nice to see consumers in general make that choice, too, and put less plastic into our landfills and waterways. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2019, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-time-for-soda-to-resume-using-returnable-glass-bottles-and-charge-a-deposit/837938/22 "2019-07-31T19:22:16Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > It would also return an income stream to enterprising young kids…and perhaps to buskers willing to play for the cost of cheap wine. According to the Sages, though, it did not seem to increase attendance at funerals… Still remember pulling around my red wagon and knocking on strangers doors beg’n for bottles at the ripe old age of 8(ish) or so. Good times. Another added benefit would be getting kids to step away from that Playstation 4 and getting some exercise. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2019, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-time-for-soda-to-resume-using-returnable-glass-bottles-and-charge-a-deposit/837938/23 "2019-07-31T19:22:32Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > It’s interesting that beer has never shifted to plastic. > > It’s still aluminum or glass. My city won’t accept glass in the recycle bin. ☹ Two reasons for that I’ve read in various places: 1. There’s no market for recycled glass. 2. Broken glass gets caught up in and fouls up the plastics intended for recycling, making the plastics worth even less than they are now. ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2019, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-time-for-soda-to-resume-using-returnable-glass-bottles-and-charge-a-deposit/837938/24 "2019-07-31T20:26:27Z")
In addition to the extra transportation costs (which are passed on to the consumer), glass requires more shelf space (glass bottles are of course thicker) and as I stated in another thread, every inch of shelf space is worth money. Also, plastic can be easily molded into a square shape, gaining even more shelf space. As for China’s rejecting plastic. While the U.S. and other countries are currently having to deal with the excess right now, it’s not one without a resolution. It’s not economical right now, Vietnam and Malaysia are already limiting or stopping import of plastic, but as export prices rise, other countries will build up their capability. That, plus recycling (mandatory or economical though deposits) will ease the situation we’re in now. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2019, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-time-for-soda-to-resume-using-returnable-glass-bottles-and-charge-a-deposit/837938/25 "2019-07-31T20:33:09Z")
There’s a local dairy around here (Oberweis) that sells their products in glass bottles with a $1.50-2.00 deposit on each bottle. Seems to work out for them, but then, they’re marketing to high-end folks who don’t mind paying extra for perceived quality although obviously anyone can buy their milk. Once in awhile I have to tell someone that while foodstamps will pay for the milk it will not cover the bottle deposit… ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2019, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-time-for-soda-to-resume-using-returnable-glass-bottles-and-charge-a-deposit/837938/26 "2019-07-31T20:41:05Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Are any of the plastic bottles that soda comes in today as small as the glass bottles of yesteryear? Coke, for one, does offer 12 oz. plastic bottles. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2019, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-time-for-soda-to-resume-using-returnable-glass-bottles-and-charge-a-deposit/837938/27 "2019-07-31T20:43:09Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I don’t think it would work if it was voluntary. Given a choice, most people would just buy sodas that don’t charge a deposit and are therefore cheaper. The companies that voluntarily had deposits would lose business. > > The only way deposits work is if every company is required to do it and they compete on a level playing field. That depends on what you mean by “work” . I’m not sure what time period **aceplace57** is talking about, but when I was a kid there weren’t any plastic bottles for soda- but Coke, Pepsi etc didn’t have deposits. No brand sold in delis/restaurants/grocery stores/supermarkets did, even though they used glass bottles. ``` The soda bottles that had deposits pre-1983 in New York ( when the original bottle bill was effective) were the brands sold at soda/beer distributors* in quart size bottles. You'd go there, pay a deposit for the bottles/case and then brought the empties back. Usually, when you brought the empties back, you'd also buy another case and the money didn't go back and forth each time, so you really only paid the deposit once, the first time you bought a case. The only brand I remember is Hoffman, but I'm pretty sure there were others. They may have been cheaper than Coke/Pepsi etc even with the deposit, but back then , the distributor brands definitely had more favors. ``` > [@Skywatcher](#): > > Coke, for one, does offer 12 oz. plastic bottles. They used to have 7 oz glass bottles. - I don’t know if beer bottles had a deposit- I wasn’t buying beer at distributors back then. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2019, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-time-for-soda-to-resume-using-returnable-glass-bottles-and-charge-a-deposit/837938/28 "2019-07-31T21:01:53Z")
The “hecho en Mexico” Coke at my local grocery comes in the old fashioned glass bottles. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2019, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-time-for-soda-to-resume-using-returnable-glass-bottles-and-charge-a-deposit/837938/29 "2019-07-31T21:08:43Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > I support the idea, but I don’t support legislation to force it. Sometimes there are things that is better for everyone to do, but not the individual. Vaccines and one example. So how do you get this to happen, or do we just scrap it? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2019, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-time-for-soda-to-resume-using-returnable-glass-bottles-and-charge-a-deposit/837938/30 "2019-07-31T21:49:48Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > Coke, for one, does offer 12 oz. plastic bottles. > [@doreen](#): > > They used to have 7 oz glass bottles. Those must’ve been before my time. IIRC, 12 oz. was the standard for our local vending machines, circa '76. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2019, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-time-for-soda-to-resume-using-returnable-glass-bottles-and-charge-a-deposit/837938/31 "2019-07-31T22:18:09Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > Those must’ve been before my time. IIRC, 12 oz. was the standard for our local vending machines, circa '76. Nah, saw them commonly at least until '77 and once in a while into the '90s - but never in vending machines. I don’t remember 12 ounce bottles back in the 70s and 80s , though- my memory is that cans were 12 oz and bottles were 16 oz ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2019, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-time-for-soda-to-resume-using-returnable-glass-bottles-and-charge-a-deposit/837938/32 "2019-07-31T22:22:48Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Soda came in a glass bottle for the first 20 years of my life. A small Depot was charged and bottles were returned to the grocery store. The deposit was refunded to the customer. > > The bottler collected & washed/sanitized the bottles. They were reused many times until they chipped or broke. Some arssholes would toss the bottles along the road. But others like my grandmother and I collected them and turned in for the deposit. A nice source of revenue. > > The system worked well. My first job was at a grocery and I’ve helped unload the bottles from the bin in front of the store. We emptied it and moved them to the back for pickup by the bottler. > > Resuming this successful program would eliminate a major source of plastic that goes into landfills. > > China isn’t accepting recyclables anymore and cities like Philadelphia are incinerating them. > (watch the discussion on recyclables) > [https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/30/business/coke-pepsi-plastics/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/30/business/coke-pepsi-plastics/index.html) It probably worked better in our memories than in real life. I remember as a kid stepping on a shard of glass from a broken bottle, and having the glass go so deep into my foot that my mother had to use a poultice (THERE’S an old-timey thing) to draw the flesh so she could dig out the glass. And while whole legions of kids like me scrounged up bottles to get that big 2 cent deposit for each bottle, I’m sure a lot of adults said, “ehh, what’s two cents?” as they tossed bottles in the garbage. For 25 years Columbia, Missouri had a law mandating a 5-cent deposit on both cans and bottles. [The city never really was able to tell whether repealing the law helped or hurt environmental efforts.](https://www.columbiatribune.com/article/20080412/News/304129926) [There’s a move to repeal Michigan’s 40-year old deposit law](https://www.wxyz.com/news/michigan-s-bottle-deposit-law-could-be-repealed), because of cost, and because Michigan’s residential recycling rate is only about 15%. The law siphoned off the two most easily and effectively recyclable materials: aluminum cans and #1 PET plastic bottles. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2019, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-time-for-soda-to-resume-using-returnable-glass-bottles-and-charge-a-deposit/837938/33 "2019-07-31T23:16:50Z")
> [@doreen](#): > > Nah, saw them commonly at least until '77 and once in a while into the '90s - but never in vending machines. That would explain it. Unless we bought them with our own money, typically from the vending machines outside the gas station, we were only allowed to have sodas when we were celebrating a birthday. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2019, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-time-for-soda-to-resume-using-returnable-glass-bottles-and-charge-a-deposit/837938/34 "2019-07-31T23:23:20Z")
> [@Skywatcher](#): > > That would explain it. Unless we bought them with our own money, typically from the vending machines outside the gas station, we were only allowed to have sodas when we were celebrating a birthday. Same for me- except I bought mine from the cooler at the candy store/newsstand. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2019, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-time-for-soda-to-resume-using-returnable-glass-bottles-and-charge-a-deposit/837938/35 "2019-07-31T23:38:34Z")
Our candy store was the candy counter at the town’s gas station. ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2019, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-time-for-soda-to-resume-using-returnable-glass-bottles-and-charge-a-deposit/837938/36 "2019-07-31T23:43:46Z")
The original Coke bottles were 6.5 oz and later 8, 10 and 12 oz. Pepsi stated the Cola wars in 1942 with the introduction of the 12 oz bottle. “Pepsi-Cola hits the spot / Twelve full ounces, that’s a lot / Twice as much for a nickel, too / Pepsi-Cola is the drink for you.” Source: [Pepsi - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pepsi) Growing up in the 60’s as I recall the local store carried two size of Coke bottles, I think 6.5 and 8 oz. for 10 cents and 12 cents. Pepsi was 12 oz in the tall twisted bottles for 15 cents and 7-up was in 10 oz for 10 or 12 cents. The reason I remember the sizes and prices was that we weren’t really brand loyal and bought based on thirsty we were and how much we could spend. My personal choice was always Coke (always found Pepsi too sweet), but if I was thirsty or wanted to share with a friend, I’d get a Pepsi. 7-Up was reserved for when I was thirsty, but couldn’t afford a Pepsi. The big mamas were quart bottles that weren’t sold in stores. Only available as prizes at the carnival. If you’ve ever carried a bunch of glass bottles around the carnival, you’d poo-poo the idea of bringing back glass. There was no deposit required, but you could get 5 cents (?) for returning the bottles to the store. The quart bottles were worth either 7 or 10 cents. Since they were glass and worth money, we never threw the bottles away. We also had Pic-A-Pop for a while. They had a unique marketing plan. You could only buy it by the reusable plastic case and had to return a full case of empties to get a refund, maybe a $1 (?). We never bought it, and would only have it when I visited one of my Auntie’s house (her neighbor ran a store and would sell to her cheap). She’d give me a bottle or two to take home, but would have promise to bring back the bottle the next time I visited. Some of my friends would collect stray Pic-A-Pop bottles, but the catch was you needed the case to get the refund and finding an empty case to fill was the real challenge! ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2019, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-time-for-soda-to-resume-using-returnable-glass-bottles-and-charge-a-deposit/837938/37 "2019-07-31T23:50:44Z")
> [@doreen](#): > > Nah, saw them commonly at least until '77 and once in a while into the '90s - but never in vending machines. I don’t remember 12 ounce bottles back in the 70s and 80s , though- my memory is that cans were 12 oz and bottles were 16 oz I’m sure it’s because of local Coca-Cola bottling company (I think they also bottled some local drinks too), but Coke and other sodas in cans were rare, they were always sold in bottles. Non-local beer was usually in cans, probably to save on shipping from the continental U.S. Vending machines were exclusively bottles. You had to check through the door to see what size Coke bottle you were getting. I had a Coke machine that had to be converted to dispense cans when bottles were discontinued locally. There’s nothing like the feeling of pulling a bottle from the machine. There was always that moment of fear when the bottle, especially Coke bottles because of the waist, get stuck and you worried that you might not get your soda! ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2019, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-time-for-soda-to-resume-using-returnable-glass-bottles-and-charge-a-deposit/837938/38 "2019-07-31T23:53:54Z")
> [@lingyi](#): > > The big mamas were quart bottles that weren’t sold in stores. Only available as prizes at the carnival. I have a ~45-year old picture of my dad at one of our birthday celebrations; near him are two RC bottles and a much larger 7-Up bottle. You have me wondering if that is one of those quart bottles. ---
**Author:** ![lingyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d2c977/32.png) [@lingyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lingyi)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-time-for-soda-to-resume-using-returnable-glass-bottles-and-charge-a-deposit/837938/39 "2019-08-01T00:07:07Z")
More about bottle vending machines. Ahh…memories! _SIGH_ I was never good at it, but some of my friends could pull two bottles at a time. This was hardest with Coke bottles because there was always a split second pause at the waist and if you got it wrong the machine would lock both bottles. AFAIK, the mechanism wasn’t on a mechanical timer, because we would always pull on the bottles when we came across a machine. Sometimes a bottle would come out. And it’s not like that mechanism was broken, because you could only get one bottle and then it would lock again. Always thought that someone forgot to grab their soda or more likely the mechanism didn’t properly lock after the bottle was pulled. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2019, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-time-for-soda-to-resume-using-returnable-glass-bottles-and-charge-a-deposit/837938/40 "2019-08-01T00:16:50Z")
> [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > Most or many states already have a return deposit… Well, 10 states do. mmm [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-time-for-soda-to-resume-using-returnable-glass-bottles-and-charge-a-deposit/837938.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-time-for-soda-to-resume-using-returnable-glass-bottles-and-charge-a-deposit/837938.md?page=3)