Recycling.. need help... About This Page:

[mooshcat]

We recycle paper, cardboard, glass, bottles, vegetable peelings etc. WE have 3 rubbish bins. One for general waste, the paper bin for recycling, and a garden bin for grass cuttings/leaves/veg etc. We pay a 'council tax' monthly which covers all kinds of amenities in our district - waste disposal being one. We also go to the local tip to get rid of any bulky waste (old furniture etc etc) you put it into large skips and the workers shift through it and recycle whaever they can.

[Chrissi]

Trash service here is covered by local taxes and recycling is included. We get an updated list annually of what we can recycle and throw out and how to put it out for pick-up. We were recycling everything paper or plastic, but we got a nasty message with our annual update this year that said plastic utensils and plastic straws are not recyclable and we would be fined if they were found in our recycling.

Newspapers have to be stacked and bound with cord. Cardboard boxes should be broken down. Carpet must be cut shorter than 6 feet in length. Paint buckets must be empty or you can empty them by painting on a board and they'll accept the painted board and empty bucket. Grass clippings must be bagged and they'll take no more than 6 bags a week. They'll take tires, too, but no more than 4 per week. Only 1 appliance or piece of furniture per week and the furniture must be dry and the appliances empty and defrosted. They'll take cars, too, but not whole. They'll take them in sections - 2 a week. I think they sell them for scrap, but what do I care as long as I don't have to deal with it?

[jbd]

Our recycle pick-up is payed for by our local taxes. We can recycle pretty much everything except pizza boxes and egg cartons. We can recycle as much as we want. Our taxes also pay for trash pick up; however, we are limited to 1 30 gallon barrel. Which, for the most part, is fine because of what we can recycle. Anything that goes beyond that 30 gallon barrel, must be placed in a "town bag." The bag costs $1 and it fits almost as much as the big barrel.

There are some other towns around here who also have a "town bag" policy. The bags are smaller, more expensive, and the towns don't have the 30 gallon barrel policy. I wondered for a while how my city was making this work financially, so I started to look at what people were throwing out. Turns out that a large number of people do not use the 30 gallon barrel and just use the bags. For example, our neighbors always have at least 3 town bags outside on trash collection day and no recycle bin or filled 30 gallon barrel. We tried explaining it to them, but they still do what they've always done.

I think of it as us being environmentally aware and teaching our children the importance of saving the planet. Dh looks at it as us being frugal.

[Papa Mouse]

I use to recycle part time, in addition to home items, for profit and came in contact with different recycling centers of all types. some in the same area.

As mentioned above each city, recycling centers, etc. etc, are different and accept different items.

In your area telephone and ask if they have a list of what they accept and in what form. For example some require that newspapers and cardboard be tied (bundled) and some do not.

There is also the question......do you want to get paid for recycled materials and cash refund items like soda cans and plastic bottles. According to replies above many do not, just recycle, pay for the pickup service and let the Waste Management, other related companies and the city make additional money off of you and your work. . You do the work, pay for it (once) and again when they resell it. That is why some cities do not allow you to go through recycable tubs, bags, trash etc.

Some cities that pickup the trash and recycables do have a seperate recycling company in business for themselves (not ciy owned) where you can get paid.

Some of these will, for example, pay you for the newspapers, cardboard, soda cans, soda bottles, beer bottle and glass. They will also accept the other plastic bottles, metals, etc. but you will not get paid for them.

You and organizations such as schools, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4H Clubs, Brownies, etc, should look into this as fund raisers to their causes.

Find out what your recycling center will accept that they will pay you for.

Have your school or organization contact other larger organizations (Masons, Elks, etc.) and the newspapers to susport a drive to raise funds plus the homeowners themselves. Why not recycle for a better cause.....your kids and community. Have your own pickup on a day that does not interfer with a regular pickup date.

[Teresa]

Originally Posted by Ashli

This may be a stupid question, but are there places that do not charge you for trash pickup at your own home?

This is the first town I've ever lived in that charged. Actually, it's not the town, it's Ray's Trash Service. The town does not do trash pick up at all. The last town we lived in, just 4 miles down the road, did trash pick up and contracted with a service - Ray's!
I'm sure we paid for it in our taxes, but our taxes are actually higher here!!
Maybe it's because this town just became a town, and the last one has always been so.

[lukeandbrookesmom]

We pay, through our HOA, but lots of things are recycled here. We have separate bins for plastic. glass, carboard (non- waxed like cereal boxes), other carboard (for cereal boxes and the like), yard waste, and hazardous waste. They will pick up such things as carpet, applicance - we just need to call in advance of that week's pick up and let them know it'll be out at the curb.

[Caldercup]

Our township taxes cover the cost of trash and yard waste pick-up.

Recycling is done (by the township) through RecycleBank, which gives us points we can apply towards gift cards, coupons, etc. In our town, we can recycle #1 & #2 plastics, all glass, chipboard and cardboard (if it hasn't come into contact with food), and office paper.

Because we also compost our kitchen wastes, we end up only throwing out a barely full trash bag each week, but put out an overflowing recycling bin.