Whats a non returnable bottle?

Pulsedriver · 17 Dec 2007 at 20:22

Hi folks,

So I was looking at buying some beverages and I notice some have stated 'non returnable bottle'

What does that mean? They can't be recycled? They are plastic?

Pete19s · 17 Dec 2007 at 20:24

Cant be returned for monies like in days gone by. Nearly everything is in a "NRB" nowadays

Pulsedriver · 17 Dec 2007 at 20:25

Ah ok, as long as I can recycle it thats fine!

So Im guessing it won't be screw top or anything?

lukechad · 17 Dec 2007 at 22:04

Why do they still put this on bottles? Surely not that many places take bottles back these days?

paddy · 17 Dec 2007 at 22:06

I imagine it's because a factory in China makes bottles for drinks companies in both Europe and the US

yozzer2001 · 17 Dec 2007 at 22:50

oh the days of going down the larkspur factory when we were kids and taking crates of empty bottles to the local shop saying "yer me mum bought it all and can we have the 10p back off each bottle"

Vonhelmet · 17 Dec 2007 at 22:51

You can return bottles and cans in Finland. You get money back.

It'd solve some of the rubbish problems in this country if companies could be arsed to do it here. Unfortunately here the companies aren't held at all responsible for their side in producing the waste and the consumer gets hauled over the coals.

Glaucus · 17 Dec 2007 at 22:52

lukechad said:
Why do they still put this on bottles? Surely not that many places take bottles back these days?

A lot of pubs still get paid for returning bottles. Although I expect the breweries that do this are getting less and less.

HAz · 17 Dec 2007 at 22:55

In pubs Britvic and real ale bottles are returned to the brewery

gumbald · 17 Dec 2007 at 22:58

Certain bottles were returnable when I was in Australia

4T5 · 17 Dec 2007 at 23:00

Used to be a great little earner as a nipper. We'd chore them from round the back of the pub & sell them in the off licence bit round the front

Corona bottles were the Daddy if i remember correctly.

Luke · 17 Dec 2007 at 23:01

malc30 said:
Corona bottles were the Daddy if i remember correctly.

You do indeedy! They kept me in sweets as a nipper

laiman · 17 Dec 2007 at 23:17

Glass 750ml Irn-Bru and other AG Barr made drinks bottles are returnable, 20p a bottle which is handy when they only cos 75p in the first place!!

Greenlizard0 · 17 Dec 2007 at 23:18

vonhelmet said:
You can return bottles and cans in Finland. You get money back.

It'd solve some of the rubbish problems in this country if companies could be arsed to do it here. Unfortunately here the companies aren't held at all responsible for their side in producing the waste and the consumer gets hauled over the coals.

Scandinavia as a whole is a model for recycling their used materials. I think Finland is around 90% for plastics and glass and they re-use most of their materials (being that it's the law to recycle there).

They use renewable sources well above (15%) the EU average as well.

I too wish that people and companies over here would take responsibility :mad:

gumbald · 17 Dec 2007 at 23:23

If there was some kind of monetary incentive, people would recycle more. But then people would find some way to cheat it...

Wicksta · 17 Dec 2007 at 23:24

Germany is the same, you pay a deposit on the bottles and then get it back when you return them. They have machines in the supermarket with individual bottle 'holes' or a conveyor belt underneath which you can put crates of bottles in. They don't really sell small beer bottles though, 500ml is the norm.

Glaucus · 17 Dec 2007 at 23:24

gumbald said:
If there was some kind of monetary incentive, people would recycle more. But then people would find some way to cheat it...

That's not really the problem. Companies need to design packaging with recycling in mind. So materials aren't mixed. A lot of packaging could be re-used without being melted down and re-formed. Again the best way to improve thing is to hit the corporations not the public.

Wicksta · 17 Dec 2007 at 23:29

gumbald said:
If there was some kind of monetary incentive, people would recycle more. But then people would find some way to cheat it...

I can't see how you can cheat a deposit/return scheme without stealing empty bottles from a shop.

gumbald · 17 Dec 2007 at 23:32

If it went on how much you recycled to the council, people would steal from each other's tubs. So it'd have to be people taking the recyclables themselves. Which most people couldn't be bothered to do for the money they'd get in return.

Vonhelmet · 17 Dec 2007 at 23:35

Wicksta said:
I can't see how you can cheat a deposit/return scheme without stealing empty bottles from a shop.

The only way I've seen people cheat it is to go round the streets with a carrier bag and pick up the empties that people have discarded.

Actually, hold up, that's a good thing too.