In an effort to cut down on roadside litter and give people a chance to make some spare change, Maine lawmakers approved a bill that would require retailers to collect a $0.05 bottle deposit on those mini bottles of booze known as “nips.” But the state’s governor has vetoed the measure, and has offered a few ideas of his own to deal with the litter the bottles create — alternatives that some in the alcohol industry objected to, even before he declined to sign the bill. [More]
bottle deposits
Man Tries The ‘Seinfeld’ Michigan Bottle Deposit Scam In Real Life, Fails
By 7.26.16
Fans of classic ’90s TV and wacky schemes may remember an episode of the show Seinfeld where a character hauls soda bottles from New York to Michigan to redeem them for the deposits. There, the redemption rate is 10 cents per item, while it’s only five in New York. By collecting bottles and cans in New York and redeeming them in Michigan, they could cash in. Now a man from Michigan is accused of trying that scheme in real life. [More]
Why Is This Store Charging A Bottle Deposit On Dryer Sheets?
By 5.8.15
Some consumer mysteries are very tiny, which is what makes them somehow even more frustrating. For example, why did a bodega charge a customer ten cents in bottle deposit fees when she bought laundry supplies? The store was somehow charging the deposit on dryer sheets, but not charging it on beverages which should be subject to it. Why? The store say that it was all a mistake. [More]
Maine Couple On Trial For Redeeming Deposits For Bottles From New Hampshire
By 8.19.11
One of the more memorable Seinfeld episodes involves Kramer and Newman loading up Newman’s mail truck with bottles and cans and trekking to Michigan to get back double the deposit they would have received in New York. While it makes for funny TV, it’s not as hilarious to a couple in Maine who went on trial this week for redeeming a truck load of empty bottles and cans that had been brought from New Hampshire. [More]
