Is it reasonably possible to cancel my trash service and recycle absolutely everything?

Question

I would love to cancel my trash service, and begin recycling everything. Is this even possible? Am I overlooking a type of "good" that just can not be recycled? Thanks!

Answer 1

Well, Our municipality does allow tissues and paper towels to be recycled as compost, and we recycle animal waste, dead animals, etc the same way.

Clearly the main reason for landfill is that people are putting food waste into garbage.

There are things like decomposing brick or softened concrete that are not useful for much but sanitary fill, wallboard is in the same class.

The main problem in recycling is that we have unlike materials bonded together and we have no practical way to separate them. We put polyester into cotton and then can not recycle either. We fasten metal onto fibreboard  and all kinds of electronics require a good deal of disassembly to reuse part of the products.

Glass may be accepted for recycling, but we are doing that only to keep it out of landfill. The cost of recycling glass exceeds the cost of making new glass. It certainly does not pay to transport it long distances to recycle it.

Bakelite appears to be non-recyclable, and broken ceramics have little value for recycling.

Rubber backed carpet?

To avoid having non-recyclables we have to avoid buying them. Our discretionary powers greatly diminish after we buy it.

If you do not want to force those who receive your mail to strip out envelope windows, don't buy  window envelopes.

Don't accept bags (any bags) at the store, because you always take your cloth bags.

If you do your own car oil changes, take the old oil back to the store that sold it to you and insist that they collect it for recycling. Same principle for tiny batteries and CFL bulbs.

Car oil filters are a hard thing to get rid of properly.

Answer 2

Dedication is a good start :)  With a healthy dose of creativity you could probably do it.

Answer 3

plastic wrap is not recyclable around here.

nor are tissues or paper towels.

and what are you going to do with food scraps?

around here, we're required to subscribe to trash service.

however, some places allow you to bring in a can or 2, and if it takes you a month to fill that can, you may come out ahead, depending on how much gas it takes to take your stuff in yourself.

Answer 4

You don't have to put your trash out but you would be still liable to pay the annual fees in your rates. This is what I was told when I tried to do this.

Answer 5

The only way to find out is to run a parallel trial.  Keep your service and recycle everything for about 3 months.  If you find you can and will do it, fine,cancel the service.  If not, at least you won't find yourself up to your waist in garbage.

Answer 6

Is there a way you can only have trash service show up once a month for those few things you can't recycle like tissues, band-aides, if you have a dog or cat there is their litter or p**p.  It depends on how good your recycling center is.  At my place they don't recycle everything.  Maybe you don't eat meat, but if you do, what about the meat packaging? That can smell if it sits around a while.

Answer 7

Yes, take a look at this video from the BBC.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7499...

Answer 8

1.Recycle

2.Reuse

3.Reduce waste

4.Don't buy milk or juice in cartons since these cant be recycled buy them in something like a glass bottle or plastic bottle instead.

5.Use solar products

6.Turn of your TV and go read a book instead

7.Turn of a light when no one is in the room

8.Take a quick shower instead of a long bath

9.Take the bus instead of a car because for example it holds 10 people and uses as much gas as 1 car instead of 10 people separated in 1 car which will ruin our atmosphere

10.Turn of your computer instead of leaving it on standby

11.Walk to school or ride your bike instead of the bus and car (if it is near)

12.Use environment friendly products

13.When buying electronics make sure they have an energy star logo or another energy saving company logo

14.Only turn on the washing machine or dish washer when full

15.Buy organic cotton clothes or buy second hand clothes

16.Adopt an animal from the pound for the holidays

17.Get something in which to collect rain water then with this water use it to water your plants or something

18.Water your plants in the early morning or early evening to prevent evaporation

19.Set up a recycling club in your school to make others recycle

20.Dont leave the tap running when brushing your teeth

21.Take a lunch box to school instead of paper bags or buy somehting to eat from the school canteen

22.Take exercise outdoors rather than outdoors this saves the lighting needed indoors

23.Buy free range eggs

24.Instead of buying a packaged sandwhich make one your own

25.Most of all join clubs and commities for saving animals or recycling

Dont forget that every little thing you do makes a big difference

Answer 9

You cant really cuz milk cartons have a plastic lining.