Green City 8.06.2007 | 7 Comment(s)

I need to institute a recycling program in my house, but I'm not sure how to do it. I know it's as easy as separating your trash, but I need to be organized...space is at a premium. I'm thinking I'll have to place the stuff out on the back deck. I do know for certain that I'll be driving this stuff to the collection point which just happens to be conveniently located in my neighborhood.

I've been to the city's recycling site, but if you have a successful recycling program set up in your house, let me know how you set it up and how you made it work for you. Any suggestions or hints are most welcome.

By  tina, at 8:30 AM

Here's my system: I get my groceries bagged in paper bags and use those to sort. One bag goes up on a window ledge and is filled with mixed containers. One bag goes between the side of the fridge and the wall and is filled with paper--magazines on one side and cardboard boxes on the other. As the bags get filled, I put them in my trunk and drop them off whenever I next take out the car. In nice weather I throw the bags in a wagon with my toddler and walk to the recycling station. The bags are not taking up usable space in my kitchen, they can be recycled themselves (so I'm not scrubbing out/hauling around sticky recycling bins), and the bags are not exposed to insect/animal/human scavengers at any point.

By  DeBaliviere, at 8:55 AM

I live in the North Hampton neighborhood (63109), and I have Earth Circle Recycling pick up my recycling once a week. The price is very reasonable - I believe it's around $100 a year - and you don't have to separate anything. I just throw my newspapers, magazines, cans, plastic, cardboard, etc. into the bin that they provided me, put it out by the curb every Tuesday, and they take care of the rest!

They're in the city, on Kingshighway, and their number is (314) 664-1450.

Also, the city has newspaper recycling bins on Macklind, near the Wherry Wedge. You can also recycle paper at Catholic schools that participate in the Abitibi Paper Retriever program - it's a good deal because the school gets paid for the paper they receive. I know that St. Joan of Arc has Abitibi bins, and I'm sure other schools nearby have them as well.

By  Anonymous, at 2:51 PM

I need to do the same and it sounds like tina has a pretty good system with the paper bags...My question is: could some one tell me why our city doesn't have a free recycling pick up or maybe even some type of recyling dumpster in the alleys. I think it's absurd to have to pay $100 year so that I can be a good citizen.

By  Brick City, at 5:17 PM

Excellent suggestions, I'm going to implement these ASAP. I really like the paper bag idea because you can recycle those as well. Thanks again!

By  M, at 6:36 PM

Every fire station has free recycling dumpsters behind them, and those aren't the only ones, I believe. So yes, there is free recycling, you just have to have the ambition to get it to those locations............

By  Anonymous, at 10:29 AM

I know of at least two people that recyled reguarly while it was free and convienent, but as soon as they moved into the city they stopped recyling. I do take my recyled goods to the fire station on Jefferson...it's a pain in the ass!

By  Anonymous, at 3:51 PM

Wow, what a pain. I live in Seattle and we have a big trash bin for recycling. If it's recyleable, we throw it in there. No confusing sorting, no worries about where it goes. Every other week a truck comes by and takes it. Because this is so easy, our actual trash output is a small fraction of our total waste.

They take a lot of "dirty" recycleable goods with yard waste. Cardboard pizza boxes? Yard Waste. Paper towels that you used to sop up kool-ade? Yard Waste. Eggshells and banana peels? Yard Waste. Shredded mail? Yard Waste. And on and on...

I believe that if you get caught with recyclable items in your trash too often you will get a fine from the city...I've never heard of enforcement of that law though.

This service is provided by a private trash company. I'm sure they make money off of it somehow...