Our trash pick up is figured into our local taxes, but we do have to provide our own bins. I am sure that will change eventually. We have voluntary recycling. We also have the bins that are about the size of a large laundry basket. Once it fills I quit putting anything else in it unless I happen to have a box or something that I can also fill and set out. I do not believe in making it manditory.
I haven't read all the responses, but I will go back...just don't want to forget what I'm thinking! LOL! We live in the suburb of a major city. We have to pay for our trash removal - and recycling. However, we have this GREAT company that uses recyclebank.com for recycling. What happens is we get credits for the pounds of recycling we do. We can exchange those credits for coupons and things. It's really neat. Our trash service is about $90 a quarter, but we probably earn about $30 to $40 in Recycle bank rewards in a cycle. We have a garbage disposal (we're contemplating composting...looking for the right apparatus, so that we would actually DO it), and I would say we put out two or three 13 gallon bags a week. We actually only put our cans at the curb when they're full - and they are HUGE. The recycle can usually fills up faster than the trash can! We've really cut down on trash waste in a big way. We no longer purchase paper plates, cups, disposable forks, knives, spoons, etc. I can't stand filling the land fills for my convenience. It totally do not consider myself a tree-hugger by any stretch...I'm sure there are so many areas I could improve on. But...I'm doing better than I was a few years ago...and continue to improve.
That's how ours is. You could put everything in your trash bin, but you are paying for recycling anyway.
Houston uses Recycle Bank, too. It seems to be a neat program. At least I like getting an e-mail every couple weeks that says "You have points!" We haven't actually redeemed any of them yet.
At our last duty station if you didn't live on base you had to buy special green garbage bags for garbage. It wasn't cheap which help make more people recycle. We are a famiy of five with young children. We'd have one trash can for regular trash but always had two or three garbage bins full of recycling. Now they recycle but it's a little different here and they pick up twice a week for both types of garbage.
I miss my curbside recycling. After we moved, now we have to take our own to bins to separate. They don't take a wide variety of recyclables either. It is just your basic paper, cardboard, glass, cans, and a couple types of plastics.
We do not have mandatory recycling. I never recycled before because there was a fee. Nope..not paying more to recycle or purchase recycled items...sorry not that green. However, now my city has given everyone one huge garbage can and one huge recycling can. The trucks down have that mechanical arm thing that comes down and picks up the can. So if you have more trash than fits into the can you have to call for an extra pick up. That costs $50! I think getting a second can costs $75...which sadly I will have to buy, I think. I now only recycle because it is not an added fee and the can is right there. Yep...I'm a convenient recycler. lol. Also...I would never be able to fit all my trash every week in that one can if not for the recycling bin. We do not have to separate the recycling items...yay! I suppose I should not say that I would never be able to fit all my trash in that can. The can does hold quite a bit...like 3-5 bags. However, there are more times than I can count that I barely made it in one can and wished I could call for an extra pick up. I am not sure where all the trash comes from..lol. I have 6 people living in my house and we are home most of the time...so if it needs to be thrown away it is done at home. Also...I am not very good at recycling until the can is almost full. When I have company, holidays, or cleaning out a room or basement...this adds to the normal 3-4 bags a week. I also get things in the mail to review and that causes more waste but most of it is recyclable. I don't mind the system...I think it's great we are recycling. I just wish I had another trash can just in case I needed it.
I just had to comment here due to DH & I recently having the discussion about why we still have so much garbage (over 1 regular-size kitchen bag/week). I'm blaming it on the junk mail! Actually, we used to do 1 bag every 2 days & I can't imagine that now. There is no mandatory recycling here, but we do have the wonderful ME 5 cent bottle deposit. If you're too lazy to take it to the redemption center yourself, just throw it on the side of the road & someone else will! Sorry, a bit of my bad humor...
