Comments on: Recycling That Works: How “To Pant” in Norway

By: Tim

Tim — Tue, 20 May 2025 09:32:45 +0000

Is there a similar process in Norway for glass bottles?

By: April Walton

April Walton — Wed, 07 Feb 2018 16:39:02 +0000

In California I used to take my elderly mother (in her 80 until early 90s) to the recycling center in her town. She would save all bottles and cans for three months and we would put them in a machine that would give us a receipt that we could take into the grocery store to get the money on the returned recycling we had brought. Sadly, it was mostly the homeless or ‘dumpster divers’ that were recycling materials. My mother was the exception and was always thrilled to get money back for her effort and to do something positive for the environment. Eventually they closed this recycling facility. I wish the consciousness of the American people would be more in line with the Scandinavians and we would want to take care of our environment. Don’t get me wrong, there is a segment of our society that is committed to recycling of waste and renewable energy but it is a very small percentage of our population. I thank the Scandinavian societies for setting a wonderful example for the rest of the world that it can be done.

By: Rick Laughlin, APLD

Rick Laughlin, APLD — Tue, 16 Jan 2018 17:07:06 +0000

The United States “thinks” that they are the greatest country…reality says they are any thing but. We do not recycle our plastic/aluminum cans. The Norwegian countries, particularly Norway are exceptional.

I am ashamed to say that I am from the US since there is little that I like about my home. Currently I am in Mexico for three months.

By: JB

JB — Sun, 16 Apr 2017 04:21:21 +0000

They had those same machines in California in 1990, they soon eliminated them because they actually paid your redemption value you paid when purchasing. Now we have recycling centers that pay $.01 on the plastic bottles we pay $.05 for and $.02 on glass which is also paid $.05 on purchase. The bottles clearly say “CA Redemption Value”, definition is you return it and get back the amount you paid in my book. I try to avoid anything not in an aluminum can because they actually pay fair for them.

By: San

San — Sat, 25 Feb 2017 18:10:03 +0000

is picking cans from “recycle bins labelled 1kr/2.5kr” illegal in Norway?

By: YJ @ The Itinerant Egghead

YJ @ The Itinerant Egghead — Sun, 11 Oct 2015 23:07:56 +0000

I used to do this all the time in Oslo but now that I’m in the US it’s not worth the extra effort. The deposit is less (though possibly about equal relative to the cost of food) and bottle deposit centers are unpleasant places that are only open for a few hours a week.

By: Steve

Steve — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 00:33:47 +0000

With regard to the UK, CPRE has been one of the groups advocating for a deposit refund scheme. Info: http://www.cpre.org.uk/resources/energy-and-waste/litter-and-fly-tipping

By: Steve

Steve — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 00:24:01 +0000

Container deposit laws are by far the most effective way to decrease litter/waste and increase recycling. They work well worldwide including many countries in Europe, most Canadian Provinces, parts of Australia, and some US states. For example, in the USA…the states with deposit programs recycle 75-95% of deposit beverage containers, while other states recycle under 30%. The ten deposit states recycle more containers than the other 40 states combined! So far national legislation has failed in the US, they are currently trying to pass it in Australia. Some European countries continue to use refillable beverage containers at a high rate, I think Norway, Sweden & Germany for example. Refillable bottles are the best environmental choice. Thank you for putting this page together and a great example of how recycling works in Norway. For more information about deposit programs see bottlebill.org and container-recycling.org

By: Matthew

Matthew — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 16:01:11 +0000

Ahhh – I remember doing this in Sweden! And in Germany, all the beer bottles seem to have wear marks on their bodies that makes me think they must be fully reused (as opposed to just recycled).

By: David Nikel

David Nikel — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 20:53:38 +0000

In reply to Odd Helge Lindseth. I didn't know that! Thanks =)