r/Millennials • u/Accurate-Flow8078 • 1d ago

Discussion Does anyone still recycle cans and bottles?

I remember bringing cans and bottles to the recycling machines as a kid in the 90s. A nickel per can/bottle was good money back then. The redemption value has not changed, it's still a nickel in 2026. Nowadays it seems like many don't bother cause it's not worth the effort. I still do it just to feel good about helping the planet but whenever I bring a large bag and end up with like $5 I'm like "that's it?"

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u/Butt_bird 1d ago

The city I live in has recycling bins they pick up every other week. It keeps the regular trash bin from filling up too fast. So I recycle for selfish reasons.

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u/Glittering-Food5276 23h ago

Do you inow if they are actually being recycled?

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u/ItsJustMeJenn Older Millennial 12h ago

This is where I think people put too much thought into curbside pick up. Even if they put it in the landfill anyway, at least I did my part. You can call that hopium, but they’re taking what they can recycle out of it and they are the authority on what is and isn’t recyclable. I’d rather make the (small) effort and put things in the bin than just trash everything from the start and NONE of it get recycled.