My Dad Is a Genius and Mainers Could Be Too

Maine has some pretty serious perks when it comes to recycling. A whole nickel for every can deposited? FIFTEEN CENTS for bigger bottles?! That could turn into a second income for diligent drinkers out there.

I was running out of room to stash my recycling the other day and had a flashback to my first "job" with my father the employer...

In order to condense our massive piles of saved up recycling and reduce the number of trips he had to take to the redemption center, my genius dad used to have me crush cans for him at a rate of a penny per can. I started out smashing them wearing snow boots, but I recall a can-crushing contraption he fashioned out of a couple of 2x4s and a hinge. He managed to keep me occupied for long stretches of time while improving the efficiency of his errands. After a few times of walking away with a few dollars in my hand, I was clamoring to crush cans.

I also remember a bonus of an Orange Crush after every shift, the punny glory of which I only just realized.

Redeeming cans in my home state of Idaho goes by the pound as opposed to Maine's per-can policy, so my dad was basically a genius and employed this crafty tactic to make his trips to the redemption center more lucrative (and, you know, to teach his daughter hard work or something like that).

Maine parents could still make a killing condensing all their cans into one trip; just be sure your kid isn't crushing those cans in flip flops - and have that Orange Crush handy!