http://www.betterlivingthroughdesign.com/I have been a faithful recycler for much of my adult life. If I can reuse something I will, I feel good when things find a new and useful purpose. Ten years ago, when our town finally got three very limited recycling bins, I used them...it would be another five years before there was a recycling plan for this area that still falls behind other communities. Our community is not lucky enough to have curbside pick up for recyclables, only compostable waste. Those that do have curbside pick up have no idea how lucky you are!
There is a lot of extra work that comes with recycling. Washing the containers, storing the mountain of plastic, paper, metal and bottles, then transporting them to the local recycling bins.
Then separating it all to the proper containers equals a lot of time and energy!
However, I couldn't imagine not doing it! No more than I could imagine not composting.
However, I couldn't imagine not doing it! No more than I could imagine not composting.
My dilemma is the storing of recyclables. I am tired of storing the whole mess, then separating the stuff...hauling it to the van to then sort into the appropriate containers...which are lined up to add on extra time and distance for each container, plus the opening are so small...grrr! I wish there was an easier way. I do have it as streamlined as I can for the space I give it... I just wish I could figure out a neat, easy system for dealing with the clutter.
For a family of six, under the counter bins aren't practical...we use a closet for our recyclables which we try to empty once a week...though that can certainly stretch out. When you see the mountain of stuff that is recyclable and or compostable it really makes you realize how wasteful our society has become. I love the idea of the containers above...I might even be able to find a cheap alternative that will work just as well...
So, though I grumble I couldn't imagine just tossing it all away...I do care about what the future holds for my children when it comes to the environment...we aren't doing much compared to others more dedicated, but we are doing our small part...so anyone with good organizing ideas on how to handle the storage issues...I'd love to hear about them.
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As you know, New Glasgow is a leader in recycling. We have curbside pickup of glass, paper, plastic, even milk cartons. You name it, it's recyclable. Funny, huh? For a small town to be "ahead of the game" on such a large issue...
Anyway, we have three rolling laundry carts that I got at Zellers, and we put a blue bag in each one. They are in our garage, and we simply open the door and toss the recyclable into the proper bin. When it is time to put it to the curb, we simply pull the bag out, tie it and plop it at the curb. We're lucky, I know, but we do have to take the recyclables that you get a refund for to a recycling depot. We let them accumulate until we're going that way, and then get rid of them then. Before I had a garage, I used my pantry closet with the same bins. Easy peasy...
You are so lucky and it is impressive that your town does so much to make it easier for people to recycle.
My biggest problem is being limited by space. My closet isn't big enough and I have had to go vertical. I miss having an attached garage because that is where we used to keep ours.
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