have went to the dumpster for bottles

[Downwards]

James! Is that why they always smash them in the trash at the bars?! I've been seeing that for years and thinking it was just shaking my head like "that doesn't seem safe".

 

[jamesngalveston]

alot of states make them break the emptys....I have owned a few bars.
I

 

[dessertmaker]

That sucks! I asked my buddy and he said almost all of what I get is the stuff they use to make their wine sauces with. It's not a wine that they serve on the floor and they don't charge extra for the sauce so I guess that's why they don't have to break them.

 

[derunner]

I got 700 empty bottles from 2 restaurants and a wine shop over about a 3 month period. By far, the hardest part was cleaning all those bottles, but now I have them clean and re-cleaning after use is a breeze.

 

[Noontime]

Hmm.. Not to be a jerk, but taking them after hours from a recycling center is really the same as stealing them. They aren't in the business of collection for the good cause of it you know, it's how they make a living.

Ours is the same way Tom...a private company picks up every Thursday. I'm sure they are subsidized, but they are definitely a for-profit business. They also lock the gates at the recycling center when not open for business, so even if I wanted to pilfer I can't!

 

[spaniel]

LOL, I've only bought bottles once in my life. The majority of my bottles come from 10+ years ago when I lived in a city where a) a lot of wine was drank, and b) recycling was the "in" thing. So we drove down the alley behind Main Street Restaurant Row the day before recycling picked up, and filled a whole pickup bed with bottles. Or, my fiancee-now-wife and I would go for walks in the evening on trash day and carry all we could back to the house from what people had set out.

Some of those bottles must have been re-used 10+ times by now. Talk about recycling!!

 

[jamesngalveston]

thats pretty cool spaniel.

 

[jswordy]

Hmm.. Not to be a jerk, but taking them after hours from a recycling center is really the same as stealing them. They aren't in the business of collection for the good cause of it you know, it's how they make a living.

It's not stealing here. You are recycling those bottles as sure as if they had smashed them and melted them. My local center encourages me to take them for free, since glass is not a moneymaker for it.

They do smash the bottles at the recycling center periodically, to reduce the volume for shipment, so timing is important. Still, I have amassed about 400 bottles.

JohnT, a case of new bottles here is $18. I'd be looking at $48 plus tax just to bottle one carboy of wine.

Bars and restaurants in many states are required by law to smash the bottles they empty, because otherwise those are prime targets for refilling with cheaper swill. For example, Grey Goose that's been refilled can make you a lot of money. That is why in the states where I live and work, if a bar or restaurant is found with empties that are not smashed, its license is suspended immediately.

 

[jswordy]

Wow, I am glad to live in Missouri. I go straight to the wineries and ask them for used bottles. Most of them say, there you go, load up what you want. Some of them charge a minimal amount $2 or $3 per case.

Of course, I also have to sample and drink a bit of wine while I am there.

Used winery bottles here are $5 a case. But the nearest winery is an hour away.

 

[jamesngalveston]

same here about bars/rest smashing bottles..its the law, I had one bartender that was emptying crown royal in to his backpack bag, filling bottle with bar grade, and taking the diffrence in money ....thinking that I would not catch him...lol

 

[LAgreeneyes]

I have also been looking for bottles on Craigslist and begging family and friends for empty bottles. My next resort is to contact the local bars and beg them for their empty bottles.

 

[jamesngalveston]

The bars in Louisiana do not have to smash them...You should be able to get a bunch...I bought my first dozen..after that, it was beg, find,and dumpster dive...lol
I could buy all I want, but dumpster diving is fun...and i get very different and gorgeous bottles.

 

[cimbaliw]

Does wine taste better from pilfered bottles?

A coworker's dad purportedly would grab a french fry from her plate, and say "food tastes better when it's stolen."

BC

 

[fcoulter]

Take a walk

After reading this thread, I just realized that I can be healthy and thrifty at the same time. In my town, you're supposed to put your recycling in a bin to be picked up with the trash. (Two separate trucks, but on the same day.)

The night before garbage day, I should take the dog for a walk with a decent size grocery bag. Pick up the bottles out of the recycling bins. I don't think there's a market for used wine bottles, so I won't be taking money from the street people who are grabbing the aluminum cans. Given that most municipal recycling programs operate at a loss, I'm even saving the tax payers money.

Thanks, you've given me another reason to exercise.

 

[the_rayway]

I called our city Convention Centre and asked what they do with their empties after events (New Year's anyone?).

They called me a week later and gave me over 500 bottles in one go. 1/2 and 1/2 red and white - and the labels are sooo easy to get off! They all match because they are from the same event, and I will not have to beg friends or family for quite awhile

I've also called high end restaurants and asked if they could keep the empties for me - they did, and said they get requests from people all the time for empty wine bottles. It's a great way to stock up on a very tiny budget.

 

[bstnh1]

I get all I need from a small local winery. During the summer, they have weddings, tours, etc. and they gladly save me all I want. I can pick up 100 in about a week and a half. They even put them in their original boxes. Not sure I'd want to go dumpster diving for empties - you never know what's been in them after the wine was gone.

 

[jamesngalveston]

new find at recycle dumpster....bunch of .375 and .750 for give aways.

 

[the_rayway]

Lucky guy...