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The problem is more that the nickel deposit was never really adjusted with inflation.

A nickel in the '70s would be roughly a quarter today accounting for inflation, and there is certainly no state in the US with a deposit that high.

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There is also less alumnium in a can now than from the 70's, so it may not be as bad as is apparent.

Doesn’t matter. The redemption cost is paid by the consumer when they buy the can—it is literally added to the bill, like a sales tax. Any recyclable value is extra.

The recycling centre's costs per ton of aluminium collected likely go up, though, from dealing with more physical cans.

None of the deposit goes to the recycling centers in the US either.

In the US recycling is a mostly private affair, which is why we saw things like bales of low-quality plastic getting shipped to China.

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