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What does household recycling look like for you?

9-10ths_Penguin

1/10 Subway Stalinist
Premium Member
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)
 

JustGeorge

Not As Much Fun As I Look
Staff member
Premium Member
I'm in a medium sized city in Iowa, US.

One can have a recycling bin for home use if one is able to afford the 9 extra dollars a month for it(we are now, but haven't always been). One throws paper, cardboard, and aluminum into it, and its picked up bi-weekly. It all goes into the truck, and is sorted elsewhere.

If one can't afford the extra fee, there are a few drop offs to which you can take things. Pop/beer cans have a 5 cent deposit, and one could take these to most grocery stores for redemption pre-covid. It is now difficult to find anyone who does this. You can also just throw things directly into the trash. Honestly, most that don't get curbside pickup do this, with the exception of the cans that they can get money for(if they're patient enough to find a place to take them in to).

Its hard to find a place to take glass to. We throw ours away because of this. Curbside won't pick it up.
 

Nimos

Well-Known Member
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)
In Denmark, we split almost everything (there are so many that its hard to keep track of.) We have organics, paper, metal, plastic, batteries, electronics, cardboard, glass (no returnable), old bottles like beer, soda cans etc. we turn in at the supermarkets and get money back for them so they don't end up all over the streets, or people collect them from benches or trashcans where people might leave them and turn them in and earn a few bucks from that, I even think we have for toxic stuff like paint etc. and maybe more, I can't remember. :D
 

sun rise

The world is on fire
Premium Member
We have 3 bins: one for real trash, one for recyclables which now includes paper, cardboard, bottles and cans and one for green (yard) waste which will include compostable paper products from what we've been told.

The basic fee is a small trash bin, a one size recyclable and one size green bin. We're charged extra for bigger trash bins.

For things like paint, batteries and other hazardous waste, we're supposed to take them to a central disposal place. Many places around us will take old electronics.
 

Brickjectivity

Turned to Stone. Now I stretch daily.
Staff member
Premium Member
1. there is no one to help us recycle 2. We have convenient garbage pickup 3. It is convenient to burn things 4. We can also bury things.
 

Shadow Wolf

Certified People sTabber
We have 3 bins: one for real trash, one for recyclables which now includes paper, cardboard, bottles and cans and one for green (yard) waste which will include compostable paper products from what we've been told.
That's how it is here. But I separate the aluminum cans and plastic bottles to get money for them.
 

crossfire

LHP Mercuræn Feminist Heretic ☿
Premium Member
We have communal recycling bins for our neighborhood that are always full, so I take my recyclables directly to the recycling center directly next to the solid waste transfer station. They take no plastics. I take my cardboard, mixed paper, glass, aluminum, tin cans, scrap metal, burned-out light bulbs, fluorescent tubes, spent batteries, and used antifreeze and motor oil there. There are also different locations where we can take old electronics. Some places will take old refrigerators or air conditioners for a fee.
 
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