Would an increased bottle rebate = recycling improvements?

 If we gave you .10 cents for every water bottle you recycled, would you recycle more? 

https://www.news10.com/news/legislation-introduces-revised-bottle-bill-to-include-ten-cent-returns/

I can say with a great deal of confidence that it would not affect the recycling rate in my household. What would it affect? Well, that is a good question. 

The stated goal of the bill is to increase recycling rates and promote recycling participation with some monetary motivation. The downfall is that much like most rebate/refund programs there tend to be those who try to exploit them. An episode of Sinfield speaks to bottle redemption road trips. 

I have never enjoyed the muttered complaints without a solution but I don't think there is one clear, single solution. 

I take that back. There is one clear solution that would make an enormous positive impact on recycling and launch forward the circular economy. The solution is so incredibly easy and I've said it so often that I even get tired of hearing it. It's so simple yet the problem is that it involves a universal change among so many. A genuine effort in recycling with care. Often recycling confusion is cited as the main issue with recycling failures and contamination. If we are being honest though, with so many devices and technology in our hands how difficult would it be to text, email, message, call, or pull up a local collection center website to determine what can be accepted? If we want the information and really put in the effort don't you think it could be found? But then what would our excuse be? 

When we pull up to the bins and see the sign clearly stating that they do not want a product we know is mixed in our recycling, do we make the choice to sort it out or drop and run? 

As we pull up to the recycling bins and know we cannot place grocery bags in the bin but don't want to make one more stop at the grocery collection bin and just want the "junk" out of our truck; are we making the choice to recycle with care? 

When you have a television, couch, or another large item that you don't want to pay to get rid of but know of a local recycling center ... ("who knows maybe they can recycle it somehow") ... are you really thinking that you're doing anything short of dumping your garbage and disposal expenses on someone else? 

It is so much easier to push the blame to the company who makes it, the hauler who picks it up, the collection site that takes it (or won't) but whose responsibility are the products that you have bought and consumed? 

I do accept that there are plenty of opportunities for change from the manufacturer, the haulers, the processors, etc. Yes, these changes could also create a positive impact but genuine concern and interest in recycling with care will propel recycling to a whole new level, demanding the others to make real changes as well. If we really care about recycling, we need to show it by our efforts and behaviors, not just our words.