Abstract: Apparatus for collection of aluminum containers and for direct payment of refund deposits for containers bearing a distinguishing indicia, including an exterior housing having an access port therein, a container access area sized to accomodate both crushed and non-crushed containers, an aluminum detector for determining whether a container offered by a customer is substantially aluminum, an optical scanning device for detecting the presence of the distinguishing indicia, a movable shelf responsive to the aluminum detector and the optical scanning device for accepting a container identified as being substantially aluminum and bearing the distinguishing indicia, a dispenser for dispensing refunds for containers accepted, a crusher for crushing the containers, and a bag for storing the crushed containers.