POLL QUESTION: Do you recycle?

[NurseJackie]

(Bonus Question: What song is playing in the background?)




POLL QUESTION: Do you recycle?

27 votes, 0 passes | Time left: Unlimited
	No ... I don't have the time or space.
	0 (0%)
	No ... it's not offered in my neighborhood / building / city.
	1 (4%)
	Yes ... but I must go to a recycling center.
	2 (7%)
	Yes ... curbside pickup of items that I pre-sort.
	8 (30%)
	Yes ... curbside pickup (unsorted, single-stream).
	16 (59%)
	0 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided.
Show usernames Disclaimer: This is an Internet poll

[jimfields33]

1. I do

No guarantees what happens when they take it though.

[NurseJackie]

4. Many low-end plastics cannot be (easily) recycled...

... I know that my county's recycling can accept and recycle detergent bottles and water/soda bottles... but not styrofoam, plastic bags, cellophane, or the thin brittle plastic (like plastic picnic plates and restaurant take-out boxes.)

That just goes directly into my waste basket instead. But they do accept cardboard, newspaper, tin-cans, aluminum and glass.

[jimfields33]

8. I put everything I believe can be recycled and let them figure it out

I’d rather put a plastic in recycle that might be recycled then toss it in the garbage because I’m not sure and it ends up in the landfill. It’s a crap shoot.

[Salviati]

11. Honestly, you're probably better off reversing that idea.

Contamination can really ruin the value of recycling. Learn what definitely can be recycled in your area, and if you're not sure, trash it.

[jimfields33]

13. Wow. I never realized that.

Contamination is a problem? Wow. I had no idea. I will take your suggestions and find out the scoop in my area. Thank you.

[NurseJackie]

12. Yeah... I was doing the same thing for the longest time.

Not long ago, the recycling/waste-management folks sent a flyer in the mail begging people to STOP putting plastic bags in the recycling (including grocery bags and garbage bags filled with aluminum/plastic).

Apparently, that was something that required more manual labor to remove from the single-stream and/or manually ripping open the bags so that they could be automatically sorted. They also explained that the plastic would get tangled in the belts/gears/sifters and it would bring everything to a stop while someone cleaned it out.

It bugs me that the WORST offending plastic (bags) can't be easily recycled... but I console myself in knowing that I'm helping in other areas.

[jimfields33]

14. Yeah. It's a mess but only will get worse.

We are running out of space for landfills. China not taking our stuff anymore definitely won’t help.

[LeftInTX]

16. Our city recycle accepts plastic bags, but they have to be in a big ball

Last edited Wed Sep 8, 2021, 10:49 AM - Edit history (1)

Before the bins accepted them, the local grocery store had an option.

Keep in mind, I'm in Texas, which is not a very progressive state!

As Sheshe said check to see if you grocery store accepts bags. We have a bag in our kitchen and stuff all the plastic bags there. They roll up in a ball and don't take up much space.

[sheshe2]

17. All the grocery stores here...

All the grocery stores here have bins to recycle plastic bags.

[Wounded Bear]

2. Not exactly "curb side" but my apt does have a separate dumpster for recycle...nt

[Butterflylady]

5. Same here.

We only have plastics recycling.

[Wounded Bear]

9. Ours takes paper, plastics, most recyclables...nt

[NurseJackie]

6. That's good! Many apartment complexes (and apt buildings)...

... manage to find ways to get exempt from local requirements/ordinances.

[Maeve]

3. My own and my mother's

Supposedly, 5,000 jobs in Central Ohio are recycling related (that's what the ad says, anyway)

[hlthe2b]

7. I do but i no longer feel as good about it after hearing about how much ends up in the landfill

rather than a recycling facility--especially plastic that so many recyclers don't want anymore. Still, I do my bit, but I cringe at all the damned plastic. I buy things in glass any chance I can, but fewer items are shipped that way.

My biggest heartache is no longer being able to justify the extra (significant) costs of home milk delivery in GLASS bottles from a local dairy--some of the best I've ever used to make my 2 gallons/weekly homemade yogurt. LOVE their product, love being able to recycle glass milk bottles, but with their rising delivery fees, it is just too costly to justify now. So that means 2-gallon PLASTIC jugs weekly that end up in the landfill that I would not have had before.

sigh..

[CrackityJones75]

10. I do but I don't believe much of it gets recycled

I do but I don’t believe much of it gets recycled.

What I have heard is that countries like China used to take the recycle waste but that they are not doing that anymore. Also I have heard that very little of what we put into the recycle bin is actually recycled anyway.

We try to pay close attention to what we put in the bin but we recycle a LOT. We also try to limit the amount of single use plastics. At first it is difficult. But you adapt where you can and take on more routines to change behaviors.

[milestogo]

19. I think cardboard and paper get recycled but that's about it.

[GregariousGroundhog]

30. Material Recovery Facilities will recover about 75% of what they take in

It differs city to city based on available equipment and how well the population avoids "recycling" contaminating products, but 75% give or take is the amount of material recovered. Plastics are usually the worst category.

[wyn borkins]

15. Response-O'Matic

I clicked the 'Yes - curbside pickup of items that I pre-sort' box, plus I try to always separate paper goods from plastic materials. I am not sure what the pick-up service does with the collected items, but they do send around three separate trucks, one for yard waste, one for recycle goods, and one for plain every-day-ordinary trash.

Additionally, I guess an Enya mix-tape was playing in the background; however, I heard NO sound whatsoever...?

[LeftInTX]

26. We have an organics bin for yard waste and food scraps!

Our city composting program started about five years ago. It was such a relief because my compost piles were becoming unmanageable. Green Bin pick up is once a week
Green Bin:

[url=http://postimg.cc/jLxJ82Xw][img][/img][/url]

We also throw leaves in the green bin. They also accept leaves in heavy duty brown paper bags.

We also have brush pick up twice a year.

[wyn borkins]

28. Organics-R-Good

It would be better for the environment if more trash collection services were similar to yours.
Thank you for your response.

[LeftInTX]

18. I take automotive, herbicide or pesticide containers etc to the hazardous waste facility

I don't want those containers being re-used, even though the containers are recyclable.

Our city has a good hazardous waste program. They're open daily.
They accept cooking oil, greasy products, paint, household chemicals, household cleaners, electronics, cosmetics, electronics, light bulbs, gas powered engines etc. I take anything to them that I don't want in the garbage. I also don't throw away/recycle containers of hair conditioner or hand lotion (unless they're empty and rinsed out), I take them to the hazardous waste facility.

For the most part, I rinse household cleaner containers (Mr Clean, Windex etc) and recycle those. However, I take toilet bowl cleaner containers and drain cleaner containers to the hazardous waste

They also have a bulky items facility open daily.

I also take any metal to a scrap metal place.


[url=https://postimages.org/][img][/img][/url]

[Wingus Dingus]

20. I do, but they stopped taking plastics and they don't take glass, so I'm not left

with much to put into my bin except paper and cans.

[NurseJackie]

21. That's frustrating... but at least it's SOMETHING.

[LeftInTX]

27. No glass?? What??

[Wingus Dingus]

29. Nope. We used to drive around with our glass to remember

to drop it off at a recycling place, but after a while we gave up. It helps that Snapple stopped using glass bottles, LOL.

[sheshe2]

22. We take everything to the dump.

They have bins for recycling bottles cans and plastics. Another for paper and cardboard also one for scrap metal. The Kawana‘s club has it bin set up for deposit bottles they recycle and donate the money to the schools. There’s also a separate location for all the yard waste. For a fee they will recycle large items like washing machines and sofas.

[planetc]

23. My county was smart, so I can recycle a lot.

The county started this program about 27 years ago now, and from the start, you had to pay to have your trash removed but recyclables were picked up for free. So I can, and do, put glass, metals, rigid plastics, and paper and cardboard out on the curb. Recently, they started a table scraps recycling program, so I take those to the local drop off spot every couple of weeks. And plastic bags are being accepted by one of the local stores. So, I wind up actually trashing very little--I put the garbage out every 2 to 3 months. I also long for the day when single use plastics will be illegal, since I have a (mostly theoretical) love of the seas.

[NurseJackie]

25. "I put the garbage out every 2 to 3 months." --- Just once a month for us, sometimes longer.

I put the garbage out every 2 to 3 months.

For the two of us, it takes about a month or so for our large rolling "Toter" for garbage to get full enough to take to the curb. But our recycling Toter is rolled to the curb every two weeks.

[planetc]

31. Right, because there's two of you.

I couldn't achieve my results if I had another person in the house. My garbage can rolls, but the recycling bins I have to carry. ... So, when I found a neighbor who will carry the NYTimes away for me, read them, and then recycle from his house, my back was very happy with this arrangement. Oh, and have you found friends or neighbors who will happily recycle magazines for you?

[Demsrule86]

24. We recycle glass,cardboard and paper (paper bag type paper) We do not recycle plastics...

I would like to say that those owning Keurig coffee makers should get rid of them...they are everywhere and the little coffee gizmos are not recyclable. I know some of the older Keurigs allow you to use a plastic coffee container but the new ones do not. I bought one and took it back. I now have an all-in-one espresso maker that I love and that won't hurt the environment.

[whistler162]

32. as much as possible

"I do

No guarantees what happens when they take it though."

[NurseJackie]

33. I know... that part is frustrating.

But at least I'm trying to do my part.