Where you live, are you able to recylce?
By Catkin
@Catkin (480)
United States
May 4, 2010 8:47pm CST
Recylcing has become second nature for me, no tossing waste paper in the garbage, plastic bottles, soda cans, cardboard, empty milk cartons --into the recycling bin you all go! I compost, too, but that's a topic for another post...
Anyway, where you live, are you able to recycle? And if you are, do you do it? I live in Oregon and am always taken aback when I travel to other states that don't recycle. I have this urge to run over and grab plastic bottles and soda cans when people are nonchalantly throwing them in the trash, but then what can I do? Yes, imagine me traveling home with a bag filled to bursting with recyclable material; happy as that would make me, it's just not going to happen. Efforts are being made by more and more manufacturers these days to use recycled material in their products, whether it be paper, running tracks made from parts of ground up shoes, or fleece dog beds stuffed with recycled (broken down, in this case...) plastic bottles.
Recycling's certainly not going to fix all our environmental problems, not my a long shot, but it can do a little bit to alleviate them!
2 people like this
9 responses
@kharlav (1669)
• Philippines
5 May 10
Yes, I recycle.It is good to recycle because it prevents having so much trash and dirt thus preventing so much pollution. I live in the PI, but even if I try to recycle and the government already had an activity about recycling to help people recycle, many are still hard headed and not recycle, it's so sad. But I still I try to recycle as much I can. I keep bottles, plastics, metals etc. and sell them to recycling plants.
@EvrWonder (3571)
• Canada
5 May 10
Wow, you sell them to recycling plants?
Lucky for you. We give it to them here. For appliances we pay for them to recycle it for us. We also pay dearly for things like household batteries. It costs a lot to recycle them.
I am surprised that you can sell your recyclables to a recycle company!
@EvrWonder (3571)
• Canada
5 May 10
Good point Catkin. I don't ave a problem paying for certain items to be recycled. I rather that then be taxed more.
I was shocked when I took the household batteries in to be recycled. It was very expensive. $5 per pound and they weigh, a lot!
A coffee make cost me $5 as well. No worries, at least it is being properly discarded.
@Catkin (480)
• United States
5 May 10
It usually depends on the materials being recycled, but wouldn't it be a huge boon to the recycling effort if more people were spurred to do it by the thought of a monetary reward? The only problem is the source of the funding that would be required...taxation would be the most likely option, and we all know how much people love paying extra taxes!
@nixxi76 (3191)
• Canada
6 May 10
Just imagine if people would all do their part when it came to recycling? I think it would help the earth out very much.
I do recycle everything from boxes, plastic containers, milk and egg cartons.. etc... but what aggrivates me is every Monday is garbage day and the garbage collectors come around take our garbage, empty our bins. They also take my recycling and throw it into the garbage truck. So basically my efforts are being taken for granted and are not being recycled.
I still seperate my recyclables from my garbage so I am doing my part but they are not.
Another thing I love about recycling is that it saves lots of space too.
Take care
Another thing I love about recycling is that it saves lots of space too.
Take care
@Torunn (8607)
• Norway
5 May 10
Yes, as in most of Norway there's recycling stations for delivering glass, metal and paper. Everyone also has 3 trash bins, one for paper, one for plastic and one for everything else. Twice a year they empty the red box where you can put light bulbs, small electric articles, spill oil, leftover paints and things like that. There's also a Fretex box by the recycling station, where you can put shoes, clothes and other things that can still be used and the Salvation army either sells it or sends it out into the world to someone who needs them. There's also a rule, I think it's a EU regulation, that if a shops sells something they have to take it back to recycle if you bring it in. I think recycling is good, I agree it won't save the world on its own but it can help a bit. And it can help save money as for someone if they can buy used items.
@Catkin (480)
• United States
6 May 10
I wish we had a nationwide regulation like that in the US! I suppose it would end up being determined by state governments instead, but then there would be all kind of complications with the many, many products that are manufactured in one state and sold in a bunch of others where the regulations might be different. Hm...
I like the idea of this red box. Is it a box that each household has and just puts out or takes somewhere to be emptied twice a year? Or is it a public box that the community contributes to over the course of the year?
@jinjer168 (1596)
• Philippines
5 May 10
Hello Catkin! As much as possible i always use the 3R's in my everyday life. Reduce, reuse and recycle. I am a believer that we should take action into taking care of our environment NOW. Let's not wait for more natural calamities that will happen because of earth's destruction because of human.
Whatever bottles, cans, plastics, cartons and pieces of papers will surely save by me and will brought them to the nearby junkshop for extra money plus i will never have a guilty feeling that all our wastes will just be a wastes already and they will never be recycled. I do hope that all of us will observe and practice the 3R's. Its our obligation to take care of our world not just for us but more for the future generation, Good luck!
@kedralynn (980)
• United States
5 May 10
Where I live, the city used to have a recycling program. They'd have us put our recyclables into plastic bags and put them into the bottom of our trash can. Then when they came to pick up the garbage they'd place the recyclables into another truck. But I guess we don't have the money for it anymore and they cancelled the service. We can still take stuff to a recycling center at a grocery store but we often forget or get too busy. So the stuff is just piling up in the garage right now. I just don't want to just throw it away.
@kedralynn (980)
• United States
7 May 10
I really need to before this pile takes up the whole garage. Especially since these places pay a little for your recycling and I could use the extra money :)
@StephanieAnnC (4274)
• United States
16 Feb 11
Recycling is like second nature to me as well. In my household, we recycle both papers, carboard, cans and plastic bottles.
Even at my part time job working at a school, I created a 'recycle box' where the children put all the paper they are done drawing on and don't want to keep in the box. I empty it into a bigger recycling conainer that is not located in the cafeteria where I work. I had the kids decorate the box and stuff. Sometimes when I empty it, I find items that are not recyclable, but that's a given. Kids will be kids. But it's a start. 
Even at my part time job working at a school, I created a 'recycle box' where the children put all the paper they are done drawing on and don't want to keep in the box. I empty it into a bigger recycling conainer that is not located in the cafeteria where I work. I had the kids decorate the box and stuff. Sometimes when I empty it, I find items that are not recyclable, but that's a given. Kids will be kids. But it's a start. 
@samson1967 (7414)
• India
5 May 10
Here in my home town, it is not possible to recycle, because of space constraint, whereas at the farm we recycle, rain water, and all the waste, including human abd animal excreta. People lack knowledge of recycling, persons like you are necessary to impart recycling knowledge. May, mother of nature bless you abundantly for your service.
@Catkin (480)
• United States
5 May 10
Thank you, and I understand, space can definitely be an issue. I'm glad to hear that you're able to recycle many different things on the farm. It's beneficial in so many ways, a lot of which people might not even dream or think could possibly be related, yet they are! I hope there are many others like me who are also working to spread awareness. :)
@ra1787 (501)
• Italy
5 May 10
I live in rome, italy and here there are three different bins for plastic/glass/alluminium, paper and cardboard, other non recyclable materials. I recycle everything i can, too bad we don't have yet the chance to recycle organic material because i can't compost at home (i live near the center in a flat, so no garden where to use the compost and no space to compost anyway), but the comune is gradually implementing it in various zones as they are shifted from street bins collection to door to door collection.
@Mrbigfishy (5)
• United States
5 May 10
Yes, i live by Chicago, where a wonderful recycling program is implemented.
