Do you separate the trash

Discussion in Home & Garden started by Gelsemium • Oct 3, 2014.

  1. Gelsemium

    GelsemiumWell-Known Member

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    A couple of years ago I started to separate my trash and apart from the obvious eco-friendly benefits, I feel that I don't need to take the trash out so often because most of it goes to the recycling containers. Do you separate your trash?
     
  2. chiofthenorns

    chiofthenornsActive Member

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    Yes. It is a law here in my country. If our trash is not segregated, they will not be collected by the garbage collector. Also, even though the law wasn't implemented yet before, we still segregated our trash.
     
  3. H.C. Heartland

    H.C. HeartlandActive Member

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    Yes, I separate items that can be recycled. Also, a friend of mine has a compost pile and so we try to separate some of the food items if we can. At times I get lazy and do not separate it as good as I should. But I think separating the trash is a good idea as a whole, especially with items that are not biodegradable. We do not have a law where I am currently that you must separate, but I think it is a good idea for countries or region/states to have them.
     
  4. Goat of Departure

    Goat of DepartureActive Member

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    I live pretty far off the city so we don't really have garbage trucks that go by and collect our wastes so it's up to us to do the disposal ourselves. I find it easier to dispose of the garbage once it's separated and since I live alone I don't really have to worry about the chunks of garbage coming in so it's easier for me to separate them.

    Also the setup in my place is pretty strict. Since I do the cooking in the kitchen it's obvious that the more organic garbage would come from there so I tend to have two separate garbage bins ready and for the living room and other parts of the house I only provide one which is for the plastics and chips bag.
     
  5. Danyel72

    Danyel72Active Member

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    We do separate all of our trash. We started a few years ago when recycling got really big and was in the news a lot. Before then, we didn't know much about it and now that we do we want to help out as much as we can. We have 2 separate garbage bins. One for trash and one for recyclables. It helps our planet, but also helps us as well. We usually run out of room in the trash bin from week to week and with recycling so many products, that saves room in the garbage bin!!

    Helps everyone out in the end!!

    Danyel :)
     
  6. JessiFox

    JessiFoxActive Member

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    Yes, I've always done so. In our apartment there's a trash room, with a trash shoot and a recycling bin...and they specifically ask that you don't throw recycling down the shoot as it can jam it up and besides, it conforms with the cities recycling standards. I would do it anyway, for the eco-friendly reasons you mentioned, but that's just another part of it where we live.
     
  7. isabbbela

    isabbbelaWell-Known Member

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    I don't make a habit of separating all of my trash, even because where I live they don't have separate trash in the building. So it doesn't make that much sense for me to do it if at the end the trash is not going to go in separate containers anyway. However, I am used to separating plastic from everything else. I will put on bottles and stuff like that in separate bags.
     
  8. Dora M

    Dora MWell-Known Member

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    I am currently living in Latin America, and here the trash isn't just trash. Everything gets washed carefully and recycled, as on the days when the garbage trucks come around, there are people who carefully scan the garbage for metal, plastic, and other useful materials. There are very poor people in this country who depend on these recycled materials. They sell them for a few pesos to plastic processing plants or metal merchants.
     
  9. akiii123

    akiii123Active Member

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    Yes, I always separate the trash. It is one of the best things that I have learnt from my mother. I separate all the vegetable waste from the recyclable waste. Then this is separated from the non recyclable waste. The vegetable waste is used as manure for plants and recyclable waste is given for recycling.
    I think it is very important for everyone to recycle the waste after separating them, as the resources once used and depleted can never be obtained once again.
     
  10. prettycolors

    prettycolorsActive Member

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    I would but there's no point because of how trash is collected here. We only have bins for mixed trash, so if I separate plastic from metal it all ends up in the same container mixing once again, quite sad. For example, some places have smaller bins with different compartments, but get this, they have no bags/separators in place so what you throw in the plastic orifice ends up together with metal or wood (for example). Fun country I live in, we still have a ways to go I guess :p
     
  11. ACSAPA

    ACSAPAWell-Known Member

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    My apartment building just has dumpsters, not separate recycling containers so there's no reason for me to separate trash.
    My downstairs neighbor does collect aluminum cans, so I save those for him. But the rest of my trash goes out to the dumpster together.
     
  12. Strykstar

    StrykstarActive Member

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    I'm sorry to say that I'm pretty lazy when it comes to separating the trash, I just keep a single trashcan in the house so I put everything together there, I really don't have the room to keep several ones.
    I do separate when I have bigger items that don't go in the trashcan, like big plastic jugs and big cardboard boxes, those do get recycled.
     
  13. DancingLady

    DancingLadyActive Member

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    We have a paper bag next to our trash in the kitchen that the recycling goes in, then we just have to take that out to the recycle bin when it's full. The only thing we have to separate out is glass, the rest is co-mingled. Quite a lot of things can be recycled where I live, so we are able to probably recycle about half our waste. I have always been mystified why you can't recycle the plastic or metal lids to anything though. How is it not reusable when it's still plastic or metal?
     
  14. Theo

    TheoWell-Known Member

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    I separate as much as I can and even when I am out there are separate bins for recycled and general waste. I keep any waste food away to compost and also glass separate from other items in case they smash. We all do our bit and hope that recycling is helping the planet. I know some places don't have many recycling facilities and I feel guilty when I can't recycle.
     
  15. insertkittyface

    insertkittyfaceActive Member

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    Usually I do, I will separate what can and cannot be recycled. I like to be as ECO friendly as I possibly can and it's not like it's that hard to do.
     
  16. xTinx

    xTinxWell-Known Member

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    We all need to separate the trash. Our city mayor has recently released an ordinance declaring those people who don't separate their trash as common criminals, bent on obstructing the city's clean and green development plans. I follow this ordinance not to appease our mayor but to give due to deference to our environment. I just want to do my share.
     
  17. May102014

    May102014Active Member

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    I guess I do separate the trash but it isn't a conscious decision. I have a shredder in my bedroom where I toss unwanted documents and mail into the trash can. When I am taking the trash out, I usually have a bag upstairs in my room for the paper trash. My boyfriend typically takes the trash out from downstairs. Maybe we were doing it all along but didn't realize it until I read your post. I suppose the separation doesn't it as it makes it easier to place into recycling containers once the trash reach its destination.
     
  18. DrRipley

    DrRipleyExpert

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    Yes, we do, because our building encourages it. We are allowed to throw non biodegradable trash just somewhere outside our floor so we don't have to go down to the basement to throw out garbage if it won't end up smelling up the whole place anyway. That's about the extent of it, though. We don't really separate plastics from paper anymore, but I believe that is good enough as a practice.
     
  19. Colebra

    ColebraActive Member

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    Yes I do.
    My roommate doesn't and it drives me insane! I'm thinking about kicking her out just because of that.
    It doesn't rob you of any time at all. There's no excuse to not do it. Except being a douche of course....
     
  20. valiantx

    valiantxActive Member

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    Sadly, the truth is that most things people believe are recyclable, are never processed and simply thrown out along with what is considered trash. So getting mad at other people and yourself, for not being more co-friendly and recycling more, is something people should carefully reflect upon before causing controversy or problems with others who don't practice a similar way of life. If people want proof that most recyclable things are recycled, here it is:

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