Abstract: Apparatus for the collection and storage of empty glass bottles, and for dispensing refund payments therefor, including a laser scanner and microprocessor preselection mechanism for determining whether a bottle offered by a customer in the bottle access area of the apparatus is an acceptable refundable bottle; two panels together forming a V-shaped base portion of the bottle access area for accepting the accepted refundable bottle; a solenoid and latch mechanism for tilting one of the two panels inwardly toward a crushing area in response to a determination by the preselection mechanism of the color of the accepted refundable bottle to sort the bottles by color; one or more crushing wheels positioned beneath each panel for receiving the acceptable refundable bottles deposited by gravity from the inwardly tilted panel, the crushing wheels having a plurality of extending bars capable of smashing the accepted refundable bottle into glass cullet; a collection hopper positioned beneath the crushing wheels located

Abstract: Apparatus for collection of aluminum containers and for dispensing payment therefor, including an exterior housing having an access port therein; a container access area sized to accommodate both crushed and non-crushed containers; an aluminum detector for determining whether a container offered by a customer is substantially aluminum, independent of the configuration of the container; a movable shelf responsive to the aluminum detector for accepting a container identified by the aluminum detector as being substantially aluminum; coin-dispensing structure for dispensing payment for containers accepted; a piston-actuated crusher for crushing the containers, the shelf being horizontally mounted on the piston; and a bag for storing the crushed containers.