There is a 10c deposit on all cans and bottle in Michigan. Still many people throw them away. And we have weekly recyclable pick-up too. But people throw them away. Makes me mad/sad....grrrr....
It's a snobbery thing for some. Winos collect the cans off the street and recycle them to get the $. Occassionally sports teams etc will do bottle drives. Teenagers recycle their families waste for gas money. Only poor people return cans/bottles. I realised this when the swim team was doing a bottle drive and people whould help pick them up but refused to look like a vagrant by standing there feeding them into the machine. Or wanted extra credit for being brave and doing it.
I cannot for the life of me understand why people can't be bothered to separate recyclables from trash, though. Containers are provided, pick-up is on the same day....... Again i think it's a "snobbery"/privacy thing. People want their trash to look neat and tidy while it's on the curb, and they don't want the neighbors to know what they've been drinking. (Recycling totes are open)