I'm a good citizen and I recycle cans, plastic and glass. I have a nifty recycle bin in the garage and the trash company picks it up once a week.

Something occurred to me last night. Every time I put something in the recycle bin - unless it's a soda can or a water bottle of course - I rinse it out in the sink. Take my salad dressing bottle from last night for example. I didn't want it to stink up my garage or attract flies, so of course I tried to rinse it out...with terrible results. It took forever to get the gunk out. I think I even added a little detergent and shook it. Same thing with peanut butter jars.

So while recycling is generally a good thing, what good does it do me to "be green" when I have to waste water and sometimes even use dish detergent before I put something in my recycle bin?

It's almost hypocritical...like "Look at me! I'm recycling! *splish splash* *bubble* *fizz*"

oohh
i dont recycle

(spank me)

i don't recycle

Just keep recycling....things only have to be reasonably clean. The small amount of water you use is recycled too.

Where I live, they just started a program where they have coded your recycle barrel and they know the weight and address and how much you recycle.

You earn points and you get prizes!!

When my trash is picked up, I see it all thrown into the same section of the truck. What's the point?

with the new recycling technology..you don't have to rinse anything or peel labels or any of that...put your smelly stuff in a plastic bag..at the recycling facility they will dispose of the plastic bag..see..there all better now..lol

We have 3 separate barrels..Blue (recycle) Black (trash) Green (yard trimmings)

They have separate days and separate trucks.

They also use Prisoner Labor to sort recycle items at transfer stations.

It is sorted at the site

I miss the days of just throwing away

Well, I used to work at a recycle center back when I lived in Kentucky. I was the scale operator there. Long time ago. And yes, everything is indeed thrown into the same truck because it's not being sorted until it gets to the actual recycle facilty.

I've heard a lot of horror stories from the sorters...the smell (think wrotten milk residue in a milk bottle in 110F heat), cuts from broken glass, people attempting to "recycle" hypodermic needles instead of taking them to a special facility, condoms (oh heck, they're sort of plastic, too, aren't they?), that type of stuff.

As a rule of thumb, all bottle caps should be removed from their containers...because they're made from a different kind of plastic than the bottles and are not recyclable. Again, that's were the sorters come in. I'm just trying to make things easy for them because it's a crappy job.

Second, only plastic stamped #1 and #2 on the bottom of the container is recyclable. So that rules out things such as yogurt cups, margarine tubs, styrofoam, and so on.

Anway. I want points and prizes, too...for wasting water and dish detergent to make the sorters' jobs easier. Heck. They probably make more money than I do...I'm green with envy. Maybe that's what it's all about.

I don't want to do that. I need my plastic bags to pick up dog poop.

Recycling in my neighborhood means going around the block.

Twice.

On your bike!

i dont recycle

I worked at a recycling center too a while back. And though I do appreciate yours and others' consideration in not sending nasty containers, it made no difference when it came down to it. Being mixed in with all the other nasty stuff, the clean stuff was hardly noticeable. Just go with throwing things in the bin dirty. Most of 'em have lids to keep 'em from stinking up your garage.

I wish we had the points system thing that was talked about earlier in the thread here would be way cool!!!

I only recycle one way....throw it out.

There. It's recycled. It is now trash.

On the other hand, I can also throw it in the firepit.

There. It is now also recycled. It is now fuel.





On a different note, drink a bunch of Gatorade....it'll recycle green, alright.

because all recycling is supposed to do is make you feel good and i bet you do.

I recycle(I'm a good person) and I sleep very well at night knowing I only fill up the landfills with other junk.

*edit*
It only goes to follow that 'bad' people don't recycle.
Those bastards.

if either way you're going to feel bad about it.. just throw it away and don't waste the water. i wash my recycleables with my dishes.