A young girl thinks about money while holding a recycling sign and a plastic bottle

Debate photos courtesy of families; Shutterstock.com

Should We Get Paid to Recycle?

April 11, 2022

If you live in Vermont, it pays to recycle. Vermont is one of 10 states that have a “bottle bill”—a law that allows people to get money for recycling bottles and cans. In Vermont, people pay an extra 5 cents when they buy certain beverages. They get a nickel back for each empty soda bottle or can they bring to a return center.

Lawmakers in Vermont are considering changing the law to include water bottles and other drink containers. They also want to double the payout to 10 cents. They argue that bottle bills encourage people to recycle more. In states with bottle bills, the average recycling rate for bottles and cans is about 60 percent. In the other states, the rate is only about 24 percent.*

But many people say bottle bills are no longer needed. Since the first bill was passed in Oregon in 1971, many states have started universal recycling programs. Residents leave recyclable items on the curb to be picked up by sanitation workers. Some people argue that it’s a waste of money for states to have both bottle bills and recycling programs.

_{*Source: Container Recycling Institute}

Here’s what two of our readers think.

My family recycles bottles and cans without getting paid. But I think having a bottle bill in our state would encourage more people to recycle. Reports show that recycling rates are much higher in states that have bottle bills.

Getting paid for recycling motivates people to pick up litter. My dad grew up in New York, which has a bottle bill. He and my grandpa used to collect bottles to keep their community clean. My dad earned enough money to buy a Nintendo system.

Why should people expect a reward for taking care of the planet? Where I live in southern New Jersey, we don’t want our beaches or the ocean to get polluted. That’s why we recycle.

Also, recycling 10 bottles for 10 cents each would earn you $1. But if you drive to the return center, you’d need to use gas. Average gas prices are about $4 per gallon. Plus, you’d be using up a nonrenewable resource. Would you really be making money or helping the environment?