A week ago, I asked (in a poll) how often you reduce, reuse and recycle. The results of the week-long poll show that two-thirds (67%) of my readers reduce, reuse and recycle as much as they possibly can, whereas 25% only practice it whenever they are in the mood to do so. However, 8% of my readers say that they do not reduce, reuse and recycle their trash.
While there are many reasons why people do not, or put very little effort in reducing, reusing and recycling their trash, I believe that one of them is that they do not find the incentive in doing it. Some people find it very convenient to just trash everything instead of sorting them out in their homes. And some people think that their recycling efforts will not do much difference to the world if other people aren’t doing their part.
And well, some people do not recycle their trash because they do not know how to do so!
Now, how do you reuse or recycle:
What about:
If you’re looking for ideas on how you can reuse or recycle a whole bunch of things from your office or your home, How Can I Recycle This? is the perfect place for you. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, a new item will be posted and readers are welcome to share their ideas and suggestions on how to reuse or recycle that particular item. You have an item but it has yet to be mentioned on the website? Pop them an email and suggest it!
Or if you have recently reused or recycled something in an interesting, clever or creative way and want to show it off, (also) pop them an email, tell them what you did and send a photo if you can, and it will be added to the “Clever Ideas” category.
Brilliant, isn’t it?
Thanks to Amanda @ The Good Rabbit for the tips!
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I do recycle once in a while, but not when I’m not at home. When I’m in my office I do try my best to reuse. It’s hard to reduce because the core of our work is paper. Our reports uses like half to one ream of papers. Imagine that! And it is compulsory to print one sided, unless we’re doing drafts for reviews by our supervisor. And all the used paper? We tear them off (no paper shredding machine in our office) and throw them to our own trash can. At the end of the week, all those waste are thrown to a big green bin (mixed trash) outside our office.
Why am I not recycling those paper?
1, No facility. I don’t see any 3 coloured bins nearby my office.
2, Nobody is willing to separate their trash. Even if they would-
3, The 3 coloured bins is too far from our office. Note: INCONVENIENT.
To encourage recycling, the city council should provide more facility. They should make recycling more accessible. With encouragement without the facility, nobody could care about it because INCONVENIENT is their reason.
I have a friend who recently went to Taiwan for his student exchange program. He says that all the school students in Taiwan are recycling freak. All their school have separate bins for different types of trash so the students can separate them accordingly. Plastics, cans, glasses, bamboo chopsticks, and unrecyclable waste such as food are separated. And all these seperated bins are everywhere in their school. I feel so uncivilized compared to the Taiwanese now.
Back in the days when I am still schooling, we only have one set of the 3 coloured bins, and its so far away from our canteens or places where students always hangout. My school admin is just taking the 3 coloured bins because the government says so. They couldn’t care less about recycling during normal school days. Why wouldn’t the school be more generous to buy 3 bins for each class so the student can separate their trash? If they can buy more bins, I guess the student wouldn’t mind separating their trashes.
Let’s talk about recycling in house level. Every 2-3 times week, there’s the bin collector that goes from house to house collecting trash. To tell you the truth, even if I separate my trash, they will just take all the trash and throw it into their trash car (or whatever you call them). I only recycle newspaper, cans and glasses because once in a while, there’s this people in van, buying those items from you. Now THAT ENCOURAGES RECYCLING. I just pile my newspaper, cans and glass bottle, and people will come collect it from me, and pay me for it. The council people couldn’t care less about it, only people finding it as a business does all recycling job.
I guess making recycling convenient plays one major roles for people to adapt recycling. Forcing is also one of it. The city council could have the bin collectors comes in 3 “flavours” (just like the 3 coloured bins), and only collects trashes if it is separated.
Just my dua cent. Hope you don’t mind if I have a not-so recycling mindset
GeminiGeek’s latest blog post: Some Quick Updates on Myself
The system is pretty good in Canad and easy to follow. We have a black box for paper and a blue one for glass. We put each box outside for garbage removal every two weeks. Easy.
I have been recycling paper for a long time, but glass it a bit harder I find. Mostly because it takes a lot of room… but I do it.
I recycle cans as well any time I can.
Much easier than in France, where you have to take your garbage to the bin yourself… when you live in an apartment and the bin is far, it’s not practical to go everyday nor to store different boxes indoor.
Zhu’s latest blog post: Canadian-ism (s) — Part IV: The Hugeness
thanks for the tips. I recycle what I can, even paper receipts!
I personally need convenience. Preferably bins that are more strategic and visible. I don’t drive and Mom’s always working, so I really really really need convenience. Perhaps the city council should make a pickup service once a week.
And the old newspaper lorry only alerts hearing people la alamak
I always look at what people throw out at garbage day, or the big clean out your house and put it at the curb day! I have found alot of furniture that I have added my artwork to, as well as old windows that I have used as frames for paintings.
I do not buy canvas for paintings, I use large cardboard, it is then not put in the landfills, and it’s used and recycled! I love finding neat things on junk day.
Another persons junk really can be anothers treasure!
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What fantastic ideas? I skimmed through the biz cards one and the sanitary towels one, and the suggestions are ingenious! Thanks for the link!
Giddy Tiger’s latest blog post: Spinning makes me giddy
I recycle daily from printing paper (both sides get used), printing cartridges (they get reused), cloth shopping bags, feminine products (I use The Keeper.), Compost (food scraps go into my compost bin.) I’ve only listed a tiny amount of things I do. The list, at times, is seemingly endless.