Although this post is primarily for Hawaii residents because I imagine residents in different states have different recycling programs, you might find similarities with your program.
Art worked for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency when we lived in Chicago and organized recycling programs in different communities.
As part of the PTA Environmental Committee along with another neighbor, in 1983 we worked on recycling paper through our children's school in Illinois.
Eventually, our township started a recycling program which we were very happy with.
Our daughter lives in the same Illinois community now.
They have one large cart for recycling and one for garbage.
Leaves in fall are put out in the street to be collected by the city.
Other yard waste is to be put in brown bags and set out on the sidewalk.
(These are their rules now.)
Hawaii has a different system. This is why I'm writing this post. I found this flyer we must have gotten a long time ago explaining the recycling program in Hawaii. We have three big carts that take up quite a bit of room on our lanai. One is for Recycling, one is for Green waste and the last is for Refuse.
Art is often tempted to put every bit of what he thinks is probably recycling material into the Recycling cart. This flyer makes it clear what and how it should be deposited. Yes, he is careful to remove glossy inserts and magazines from the newspapers... but junk mail... hmmm... He does put in non-glossy office type paper.
And yes, we're careful to only put cardboard and NOT chipboard boxes (from cereal and other grocery items) into the Recycling cart. We are also careful to only put #1 PETE or #2 HDPE plastics into the container after rinsing and removing the lids. (WHY do they make those symbols so small on plastic containers?1?)
And this page explains what happens to our recyclables and refuse. It would behoove us to be careful to recycle what we can, but to do it carefully so we don't contaminate the material that is being recycled.
They don't mention what gets buried in landfills. We do have a couple of landfills (I think) but we're a small island. How long can we keep burying our garbage?
Our recycling isn't robust, as we are in a small county. The bigger cities are better.
ReplyDeleteWe have three bins, one for refuse, one for cardboard only and one for cans, bottles and bundled up newspapers. The one for cardboard can be used for all recycling but then you have to bundle up the cardboard which I find very had and time consuming to do. When I complained about it, they just gave me another can and said just put your cardboard in it, flattened but unbundled. Since we get a lot of boxes delivered, it comes in very handy.
ReplyDeleteWe used to have an organization in our county where people with intellectual disabilities would get paid to sort through the recycling and separate it out but after a couple decades of that, it closed up a couple years back. I have no idea what happens now but I suspect all, but perhaps the cardboard, ends up in the landfill. The cardboard I see bales of it behind the recycling center on the edge of town.
We do about the same, but the smaller, more rural communities like ours tend not to have the green bin option. We put out paper/cardboard one week and containers in the other.
ReplyDeleteWe have the three cart system. I will have to check again what to put in the blue box. I think some of the stuff I put in is not allowed. Our green box is not picked up in the winter.
ReplyDeleteI feel many people don't adhere strictly to these rules even my own family members. I will pick some stuff out of the garbage and put it into the proper bin.
ReplyDeleteWe don't have bins... wish we did. Our garbage and recycling go into bags. The blue bags are for the recycled items. Black bags for garbage. Because of the coyotes and wildlife (and no bins), we can't put our trash out at night, only in the morning before the garbage pickup (which varies). We have to 'beat' the garbageman twice a week who comes between 7:30 am and noon. I also am always pulling out paper towels and things that shouldn't go into the recycle bag.
ReplyDeleteYears ago our community had separated recycling and we all had different colored boxes. Compost cannot be bagged, just put in piles. Now all our recycling goes together in a can you provide and you put a yellow tag on it. Cardboard is flattened and tied in bundles. It was my understanding years ago that this contaminates it, but what do I know. Instead of waiting for the yard waste truck, my husband likes to drive to the compost facility himself. It is his hobby, lol.
ReplyDeleteYou folks would get a kick out of checking out bottles4college a local non-profit here on Oahu started by my nephew when he was 14 years old! We have already given out scholarships to two local students going to university!. Really, Google it. I think you would really appreciate what Genshu is doing!
ReplyDeletehttps://bottles4college.weebly.com/
DeleteWow! I just checked his website. https://bottles4college.weebly.com/
DeleteI can see why you're so proud of your nephew. He needs to set up a drop off for the leeward side too.
Oh my yes. We are very rural and we got a sort of recycling centre a few years ago. But finding the proper little triangle, especially on white plastic where it is just a raised dimple somewhere unobtrusive, is a pain. What I appreciate is the twice a year call for the difficult stuff like old paint. Two days a year. The lineup had to be seen to be believed.
ReplyDeleteI like your post, this is an important endeavor. Here in my small California city we have 4 bins, one for paper metal and plastic, one for garbage, one for yard waste (pruned and weeded from yard), and a newer one for any leftover food. The contents of the new food one is ground into animal food and soon will be used to create an energy source (methane?). I read that the main contributors of the awful plastic "island" floating in the Pacific is from 9 countries in Asia. The world needs more recycling obviously.
ReplyDeleteI was able to start the recycling pick up in my tiny township (1500 people). It fed into a sorting center. I've been out of office for several years, and no longer live there, but cannot believe it may be gone.
ReplyDeleteWe are such a throw away society and I am afraid the younger generations are worse. My son-in-law throws away EVERYTHING. So much so that I sometimes look in the rubbish can to retrieve stuff that can still be used or donated. He thinks I am batty. So be it. I like being batty.
ReplyDeleteIt can be so complicated. I'm sure I must make mistakes. I have recycle, yard waste and garbage. I do well with yard waste but recycle is harder. You're right that those symbols are TOO small. If I have any doubt, it goes in the garbage. We can't recycle glass unless we take it to a special place. I should but don't since I don't like transporting glass.
ReplyDeleteInteresting to read what other places do for recycling. We have a separate place for cardboard. Paper goes by itself and they don't seem to care if there are glossy pages in there. Glass and plastic are together in one bin.
ReplyDeleteOur set up is like DJan's. We have never received any specific instructions on recycling, so I was interested in reading yours.
ReplyDeleteI use the recycling dumpster at work
ReplyDeleteBut my old city used to have a small bin for recyclables but now it's the same size as the garbage