Something I've been curious about: how does the process of household or consumer recycling and waste diversion vary around the world?
Where you are, what products are recycled?
How do you go about recycling your products? Do they do curbside pickup in front of your house? Do you have to return materials for a deposit?
Where I am (southwestern Ontario), here's how it works:
- we have curbside pickup for most recycling.
- we have a two-stream program: in one bin go paper products: cardboard, newspaper, shredded paper, etc. In the other bin go containers: plastic (e.g. bottles and tubs), metals (e.g. cans and aluminum foil), and glass (e.g. bottles and jars).
- we don't currently have a pickup program for organics, but this is coming in the near term (based on a provincial directive).
- there's no deposit on any consumer packaging except alcohol bottles. The deposit on these can be collected by returning them to the beer store. The deposit is low enough that a lot of people don't bother with it and just throw their beer bottles in the recycling bin with their other glass.
How about where you are?
(And let us know approximately where that is, if you're comfortable sharing)
Where you are, what products are recycled?
How do you go about recycling your products? Do they do curbside pickup in front of your house? Do you have to return materials for a deposit?
Where I am (southwestern Ontario), here's how it works:
- we have curbside pickup for most recycling.
- we have a two-stream program: in one bin go paper products: cardboard, newspaper, shredded paper, etc. In the other bin go containers: plastic (e.g. bottles and tubs), metals (e.g. cans and aluminum foil), and glass (e.g. bottles and jars).
- we don't currently have a pickup program for organics, but this is coming in the near term (based on a provincial directive).
- there's no deposit on any consumer packaging except alcohol bottles. The deposit on these can be collected by returning them to the beer store. The deposit is low enough that a lot of people don't bother with it and just throw their beer bottles in the recycling bin with their other glass.
How about where you are?
(And let us know approximately where that is, if you're comfortable sharing)