Are you still recycling?

[gimmethesimplelife]

Just curious. More amd more recycling programs are being scrapped across the US and there is debate if our recyclables are actually getting recycled - or just dumped on developing countries.

What's your take? Rob

[Teacher Terry]

Since I am so busy with packing my ex husband’s junk I quit recycling. I don’t think my condo building does it although I will inquire. Our garbage company insists it’s all being recycled but the news stories make you wonder.

[happystuff]

Absolutely! Also trying to increase my "reduce" and "reuse". I've been trying to make myself more aware of packaging and have even refused to purchase some things due to their excessive packaging. Interestingly enough, participated in a survey a week or so ago about product packaging. Don't remember by who, but am hopeful that companies are starting to... maybe... at least... think about it.

[iris lilies]

Yes. We have large recycling containers in our alleys. What happens their contents I don’t know.


My condo association has a private recycler picking up that large garbage can.

[Rogar]

The recycling center near my house is finally fully operational after some closures during the pandemic. They require things to be sorted and you have to unbag into containers at the watchful eye of a worker, so contamination is minimal. And they do not take certain numbers of plastics. So I feel somewhat better about things actually being recycled. I have imagined that they get some sort of government subsidy, but they are a private company with a staff of disabled and learning impaired people. It seems like an ideal business model for recyclers.

My trash service does single stream recycling for a small charge, but I don't have much faith in single stream recycling. I suppose it's better than nothing. I have a mature yard with plenty of yard waste, especially in the fall and spring. I wish there was a place to take yard waste for composting or other use, but ther's nothing around that I know of.

[ApatheticNoMore]

Here and there but mostly NO. It's too difficult. There are NO recycle bins for apartments here. There is NO LOCAL recycling place to take recycling to.

So I leave out the bottles with a CRV (recycling deposit) for a guy who seems to come around on Sunday for them (this is just some random person digging in dumpsters for trash to recycle to get money back). I could try to get money back for them myself, but I don't want to make a 20-30 mile round trip to some flaky recycling place that always closes before it's stated hours. So many times I've driven out there for nothing and I checked the hours on the website first! All recycling places play this flaky stuff with the hours and close whenever they have taken "enough" for the day, but as more and more have closed, the length of the drive just to find out they are closed and can't take anything keeps increasing, it's increased enough that I no longer do it! And even those places ONLY ever take the recycling you can get money back on.

Occassionlly I'll take some recycling and put it in my mom's recycle bin.

That is pretty much the options here. No I'm tired of making myself a martyr to try to recycle, when we have a pretty much non-existent recycling system. And that's not even getting into if any of it actually gets recycled or not.

[bae]

I haven't changed my (minimal) practices.

[JaneV2.0]

Increasingly grudgingly, yes.

[Yppej]

Yes. It is mandated by my city. If you put recyclable items in the regular trash they can refuse to pick it up.

[razz]

I buy so little (minimalism) but compost and recycle what I can.