CA Refund Value on All Containers?

I'm no expert on waste management, but when I throw the recycling into the purple bin... all forms of plastic, tin and aluminum cans and paper, all mixed up, I wonder how it all gets separated... how much of it gets separated, and how much ends up on a ship to another country to be separated or deposited over there.

When we were kids, I remember my family saving the soda bottles, returning them in wooden crates to the store.  They were worth something.  We did it.

The California Refund Value provides enough value that a fair number of people will do drives for their schools or non profit organizations.  It's not making anyone rich, but the fact that the cans and bottles have a value and that there is a system for collection of the CRV containers and yes, that it's good for the earth gives us a reason and a way to get those products sorted and separated out into their individual waste streams.

There was even a time when groups would hold paper drives.  I wonder why this was so... Would the organizations get credit and payment for the paper they turned in?  I imagine so.  I was too young to be on the organizing side, so I truly do not know.  Why do we no longer do paper drives?

An organization called Terracycle gives non profits a way to earn funds for recycling waste.  It's organized along product brand names, and is really very commercial, but they've got something.  It provides a mechanism for processing waste containers, primarily in the form of reuse.  I'm pleased to say that I've earned several hundred of dollars for non profit organizations here in Long Beach.  This, simply by sorting and sending in drink pouches, chip wrappers, candy wrappers, cookie wrappers, tortilla bags, cereal bags, beauty products bottles and more.  Sure, it's a lot of work and rather icky, but they created a system for collection, get sponsors for the waste streams, provide non profit groups with a compensation value (however small) and figure out products to make from or be delivered in the waste.  It's pretty impressive.  An incredible amount of effort being performed by a whole lot of people for a few pennies at a time.

It makes me think of the costs of the container.  Why did we just put a California Refund Value on water bottles and other individual drink containers?  I suspect that at the time, a wholesale regulation of all waste containers would not have been able to pass muster with voters.  But does that individual CRV container really have a value any greater value than the tin can or the shampoo bottle.  I suspect that the tin can and shampoo bottle may actually have a greater material value in some cases than the water bottle or soda can.

I've heard that there really are plants here in Los Angeles that process the products of the recycle containers.  I just wonder what percentage of recycle container waste is processed in this way.

I've heard about barges of trash carrying our recyclable waste to other countries that will accept it.  I imagine that may be true.

Why not apply a California Refund Value on all containers?  I think if we did that, all the little hands would do lots of sorting, even for a penny a container.  Existing collection stations could add a few streams to the items they collect.  There are already plants that make products from this waste.  I'm not sure where these plants are located, but it makes sense that a localized consumption-sorting-recycle-production system would be much more effective than loading a barge of mixed waste for another country.

It would have a huge value of raising the awareness of recycling and make a few local jobs too.

I expect some will call it a tax.  And I suspect that they wouldn't be that far off from the truth.  But I think that we'll all agree that it's a problem.  I think we would all also agree that any solution would cost money to implement.  Or will we?

My expertise is only that I exist and consume, so I have only random comments and thoughts to offer.  Regardless of whether or not you are an expert, please feel free to offer your comments, but please also understand I have no answers.