Why don't you recycle?

[Absolutely Virtue]

I was just reading something or other about recycling, because Earth Day is coming up. It linked to this NRDC page with some recycling facts in America. Some stood out:

31% of plastic soft drink bottles are recycled
45% of aluminum cans are recycled
13% of plastic water bottled are recycled (in 2005, 26m ended up in landfills)

These numbers are obviously higher than they once were, which means we're making progress. But most people still don't recycle, and for the life of me I just don't understand why. So if we recently had a thread where people justified why they don't wash their hands after they take a dump, maybe we can have one that explains why people don't bother to recycle.

This thread will almost certainly derail into arguments about myths about global warming, blaming everything on Bush/Obama, waiting around for god to fix it, and everything else under the sun. But really I'm just curious why most people don't do something that millions of people do without even thinking about it.

And we are all in situations sometimes where we can't recycle. It happens. I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about at your house, or your office, or your school- where you regularly throw shit away.

[Acturus]

I'll start recycling when the Catholic church condones condom use.

(am I doin' it rite?)



Seriously, though? laziness. I won't go out of my way to recycle. I don't go out of my way -not to- recycle, but I recycle when it's convenient.

[Woozie]

So if we recently had a thread where people justified why they don't wash their hands after they take a dump

Wait, what?

[Woozie]

Also, if I need to throw something away, I typically just go to the nereast place to throw something away. If there's a recycle bin there, I use it. Otherwise, I use the trashcan. At my apartment we have a trash chute but no recycle bins.

Edit:

Seriously, though? laziness. I won't go out of my way to recycle. I don't go out of my way -not to- recycle, but I recycle when it's convenient.

Pretty much this. I wish there were more recycle bins around, so that it would be easier to recycle more. But right now, the logistics of it just don't work out.

[Soa]

I recycle everything but plastic bottles because the recycling centers/bins in my area don't accept them for some reason.

[TacoTaru]

If I'm at school or work I do. At my apartment complex they don't have anything for recycling or any place to put recycling and I'm not even sure where the hell the recycling place is for my area since I had pick up when o I was living with my mother.

[Baelorn]

My township provides recycling containers so there's really no reason not to recycle.

[Cream Soda]

Wait, what?

No, he's not talking about me

[Cream Soda]

If where ever I'm disposing my trash has a bin for recycling, I'll use it, other than that, I won't.

[Absolutely Virtue]

Quick follow-up. For those that don't because there are no facilities available, can you describe where you live? Not in detail, just like urban, suburban, rural, etc? I have lived in apartments all around DC and the suburbs, and I've never been in a complex that didn't have recycling somewhere (although I often had to look for it). Just wondering if that's regional.

[RPGTyrant]

I do recycle, mainly because my township provides a really cool recycling program. It's single stream, and the recycling can they give you has a RFID tag, and is weighed and scanned as they load it into the truck. It's linked to the Recycle Bank website, and I can redeem the points earned through recycling in the form of gift cards or discounts on groceries, electronics and services. If I didn't have this, I probably would still recycle, but definitely not with the care I put into it now.

[Mizango]

North Carolina gives you recycle bins and makes you recycle. Its easier and it saves me from changing a trash bag every few days.

[Soa]

My township provides recycling containers so there's really no reason not to recycle.

Mine too, which are located literally 100 yards from my front door, but they only have them for glass bottles and aluminum cans. There are some near my work that are for newspapers too. I went to my counties actual recycling center and they wouldn't take my plastic bottles.

Oh I live in the suburbs of Philly.

[Cream Soda]

Quick follow-up. For those that don't because there are no facilities available, can you describe where you live? Not in detail, just like urban, suburban, rural, etc? I have lived in apartments all around DC and the suburbs, and I've never been in a complex that didn't have recycling somewhere (although I often had to look for it). Just wondering if that's regional.

white neighborhood

[Woozie]

Quick follow-up. For those that don't because there are no facilities available, can you describe where you live? Not in detail, just like urban, suburban, rural, etc? I have lived in apartments all around DC and the suburbs, and I've never been in a complex that didn't have recycling somewhere (although I often had to look for it). Just wondering if that's regional.

Akron, OH. It's an urban area. The only recycle bins I see on a regular basis are on college campus (where I do recycle). But even then there are only a few places on campus to recycle certain things. I can't recycle bottles from where I am on campus now. I would have to walk about 10 minutes out of my way to do so. I can recycle paper almost anywhere though. I have no clue where I could recycle aluminum ( <-- no spellcheck at work, sorry). I don't use cans anyways though.

Like I said earlier, at home 9an apartment) recycling is not even an option. There are no recycle bins. I don't know where the local recycling facility is, and I don't have a car to get there anyways.

[Jefe]

I do recycle. Unfortunately, I know it's not enough to make a significant impact. We'd have to change a bunch of infrastructures around, and literally change the way we do business.

[Correction]

I recycle aluminum because it's actually worth the money spent recycling. Fuck everything else.

[Dolmen]

I live in an apartment complex that has recently adopted recycling. We have to purchase these blue clear bags, and the Valet Waste picks them up. However, I do not use this service.

I have multiple plastic bins that I use. One for glass (basically nothing but beer bottles) and another for junk mail/newspaper. I do not really use plastic, so nothing for that. I take the bins to the Fairfax County dump (3/4 mile from my apartment) every couple weeks and use the recycling area.

At work we recycle everything. We even have a company that shreds our paper, and then recycles that. When I'm at campus for classes, I always recycle because they have a good number of the bins. If I don't see one when I'm ready to toss, I'll seek one out.

I honestly recycle due to laziness. If I can sort all of that stuff into my bins, then I'm not filling up a trash bag and having to take it to the dumpster, or stick it outside my door for Valet Waste.

[Demosthenes11]

personally, i like to throw recyclables away in public just to see people give me dirty stares or even for the rare occasion some dirty hippie that hasnt showered in 6 months comes up to me and bro's me about how I'm killing the planet. In my own house I recycle though

[Yabby]

10 cents a can here.... i don't waste that money!