News for hackers. Stuff that matters.
Re:Oregon Bottle Deposit System Hits 90 Percent Redemption Rate by sigfubar on Thursday January 24, 2019 @11:46AM (#18990295)
> A row of sparkling clean reverse vending machines greet customers

Yeah, these won't stay "sparkling clean" for long. I used to make an effort to redeem bottle deposits: I'd pull up in my truck and attempt to unload everything I've accumulated over the preceding couple of weeks. Eventually I got tired of jostling into position in front of the machine, arguing with the homeless, and getting into fights over who gets to go first. The sorts of people who redeem bottle deposits in NYC do a very good job at scaring away regular folks who might want to do the same.

Re:Oregon Bottle Deposit System Hits 90 Percent Redemption Rate by timdellinger on Thursday January 24, 2019 @12:24PM (#18990700)
Also, there's no incentive to keep them clean - people will come in no matter what condition the place is in. They often end up smelling like stale beer and corn syrup.
Re:Oregon Bottle Deposit System Hits 90 Percent Redemption Rate by fipple on Thursday January 24, 2019 @11:52AM (#18990361)
You could have probably auctioned off your bag to the crowd there for close to true value.
Re:Oregon Bottle Deposit System Hits 90 Percent Redemption Rate by thinelvis on Thursday January 24, 2019 @01:37PM (#18991517)
Maybe once in the past year have I managed to have someone buy my cans and bottles for basically nothing. Probably 80 percent of the people redeeming where I go are homeless, so it's no mystery to me why they're homeless.
Re:Oregon Bottle Deposit System Hits 90 Percent Redemption Rate by dawnerd on Thursday January 24, 2019 @12:53PM (#18991029)
That’s assuming they even work. Best bet is to go to a Costco, they at least keep it mostly clean and functional. Although you then have to stand in the returns line to get your money or argue with a cashier that they have to redeem the slip.