Recycling is one of those things that everyone knows they should do but can easily toss out reasons why they don’t.
It’s inconvenient.
I don’t have time.
I don’t know which items are recyclable.
Those seem to be the most common reasons. In today’s fast-paced society it goes against everything we do to adopt a habit that takes more of our time and energy. Some things are worth your time though. Let me give you two reasons why you should.
- It saves money. In one way or another you pay for your trash. In my town we have to purchase special bags to put our trash in for trash removal. In some towns it’s included in your taxes or you have to pay for private pick-up. However it works where you live, it isn’t free. That said, it only makes sense financially to produce less waste. Like so many frugal things …
- It’s better for the environment. Just think, if we could all reduce the trash we produce by 50% what a difference it would make. I have curb-side pick-up for my trash and each week the amount of trash and the amount of recycling I put on the crub is about equal. If I didn’t recycle I’d be doubling our trash output.
You already knew both of those though, didn’t you? The real obstable is that recycling is annoying. Who wants to go through all that fuss to recycle a tin can when it’s so easy to toss it in the trash?
Here are some tips to make it slightly less annoying for you.
- Dedicate a space. You need to have a spot that’s set aside for your recyclables. I prefer mine to be out of sight and not inside my house so it’s out on our covered porch. That works for me. Find a spot that works for you. If you don’t have a place to put it then it will always feel too bothersome.
- Sort as you go. I have bins that I toss my recyclables into. Sorting as I go, as opposed to tossing it all in one bin, saves me time when I put it on the curb and the annoyance of having to sort it all at once.
- Know what to recycle. I found this link, The World’s Shortest Comprehensive Guide To Recycling. If you don’t recycle at all you might find it useful. To be honest with you though, I’ve never paid any attention to lists and charts like these. Most recycling I do seems pretty obvious to me. The things I recycle the most – paperboard, boxboard, cardboard, junk mail, flyers, newspaper, tin cans, plastic bottles/containers and glass bottles. That’s pretty much it. There isn’t a ton to remember. I guess I’ve always assumed that if something wasn’t recyclable then the trash pick-up people just wouldn’t take it – hasn’t happened to me yet. If you’re still unsure then pick up the phone and call your local transfew station. They’d be pleased to answer any question you have.
Hopefully some of these ideas help address some of your initial drawbacks. I’m willing to bet I have a few readers that can add to the tips here though. If you have a tip that makes recycling easier for your family then please leave a comment and tell us. If you’ve written a post on the topic you can feel free to add that too!
Why I do what I do ~ I just found my daughter’s sunglasses from last summer. They’re the kind that velcro around her head. Yeah … she’s wearing them, right now, in the evening, in the house. Cool kid.
photo credit: lepiaf.geo
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m currently reading a book that is very pro green. The author acknowledges though that in order for everyone to get on board, it has to be automated and the user has to perceive no increased expense.
The best example of this is the municipal recycling programs that pick up recyclables along with your trash. What we need are more programs like that.
the weakonomist’s last blog post..Fair Tax: The Pros and Cons
Thanks for the article on recycling! I love it when bloggers promote green activities.
One way I’ve found to make recycling easier is to buy less stuff. I try to think about the packaging on the purchases I do make and opt for less when possible — buying in bulk, etc.
Another thing about recycling: like any habit you cultivate, it becomes second nature. So, if you don’t recycle now but can get yourself to start, in a few weeks you’ll be doing it without even thinking about it, especially if you follow the post’s tips for making it easier. : )
Luckily, where we live, we put our recycling out with our trash, and it gets picked up every other week. Also, we don’t have to separate anything, plus we can recycle many things, including all plastics #1-7, cardboard, glass, etc. Very, very convenient.
One thing we do that really helps is we have a medium size plastic Rubbermaid container on the counter next to our fridge. We put soda cans and rinsed-out yogurt cups, glass jars, etc., all in there as soon as we are finished with them, and a few times a week I take that out to the recycling bin. This works much better for us than having to go out to the garage 10 times a day to deposit our recycling.
Courtney’s last blog post..It all began with a knock
I needed this list. Thanks for putting it together – it’s incredibly important. I saw a man throw his entire McHappy meal out the car window the other day. I think we need stronger litter laws in conjunction with this.