How many recycle more than they trash garbage?

[GL]

In a few years, Toronto is expected to hit its target of 80% of waste being recycled and the remaining 20% going off to a trash dump.

We started out with one blue box in the 1980s and since then we've got a second, and also a grey box for newspapers. My family fills up all three and still has extra recyclabes that just have to go out in bags. For size comparison, each blue/grey box is about the size of 4 mid-tower computer cases placed adjacent to eachother.

We're down to about 2 small garbage bags a week.

And we're now being told that every plastic container can go into the recycling in addition to drinking boxes and a bunch of other stuff.

Add to this the fact that governments have been subsidizing free composters and are thinking of giving every household a composter (we already have one), I'm thinking I'll actually see the day where we don't have any garbage to put out.

Is this just a Torontonian phenomenon or are a lot of communities being able to recycle this much?

PS: I know this is a strange topic for a Saturday night...don't ask...it's been a long day

-GL

 

[datalink7]

We generally put out 3-4 blue recyclying bins. About 3 bags of trash.

Eugene, OR

 

[RU482]

I used to do about a 60/40 Recycle/trash ratio

 

[Sluggo]

We put lots of plastic and cardboard in the recycle bin. Monday morning the disgruntled garbage man comes and throws half the plastic, and all the cardboard on the ground. I then walk around my house and collect all the crap he threw on the ground and put it in the trashcan. Wonderful system.

 

[GL]

My future brother-in-law's mother gives the garbage/recycling guys a six-pack of beer at Christmas and they pick up everything and anything she puts out at the curb. I think I'll have to try that as they're usually dead lazy.

-GL

 

[mastaki11a]

I can only put 4 gigs in my recycle bin since my hard drive is only 40 gigs.

 

[crab]

Where I live, there is no recycling..In fact you have to drive your trash to the dump yourself, and have to pay for it.
We use our trash compactor alot too.

 

[yakko]

I wish our area did it that way. Unfortunately our local government can't find a way to make enough money off of it for themselves or their buddies so it is not going to happen any time soon.

 

[Ornery]

We use to put paper, plastic etc. into a recycling container next to our garbage hopper. One day I went to collect them from the curb and saw a note attached to the contents in the recycling container. It said the contents didn't comply with something or other and gave a phone number to call. I called and it turned out that because I had the newspapers inside a plastic bag, it would not be accepted that way!

I threw the recycling container into the garbage hopper that week. FVCK IT! :|

 

[sharkeeper]

I'm waiting for a food recycling program...

Ornery: Couldn't agree more!

Cheers!

 

[jonnyGURU]

Considering how much beer I drink, and all of the bottles I empty, I produce a substansial amount of glass to recycle.

 

[GoldenTiger]

I only can recycle:

Newspapers
Some soda cans/bottles
Milk jugs and a couple of other SPECIFIC plastic container types

.

 

[Raspewtin]

the city live in is really anal about recycling. four different trucks come on trash day, one for yard waste recycling, one for newspaper recycling, one for all other recycling, one for trash. most times, our recycled goods are larger than our trash. However I would never make an effort to recycle if the city didn't make it so easy.

 

[godsgift]

I do my part to recycle newspaper,plastic an cans