It has become a larger trend that American households are recycling, but are they doing enough. Many items that wind up in the garbage bin are recyclable or compostable. Why aren't they then? Too many people remain uneducated as to what is recyclable. So here is a list of items that are recycled and then compostable. I do feel that this needs to be a two pronged approach. Recycling won't be enough if we have piles of organic/biological waste that should be composted and used in locally.

Recyclable.

ALL plastics - your local plant may not accept all of them, but they are ALL recyclable. Plastic bags too (check your grocery store for a bin).

Paper - this means all paper products from the junk mail to the cardboard packaging you use daily. Just for ease of writing, all wood products to some degree is recyclable.

Glass - All colors and all varieties.

Metal - Probably one of the most recyclable items. Steel, aluminum, tin, etc. all should go in that bin.

Tires - Well rubber in general, but tires are the most important. You can't put them in your local bin, but you get the point.

Computers - Full of toxins and recyclables alike. Don't pitch these. Just put all electronics here.

Appliances - Full of recyclable products and materials.

And that's not everything, but I want to leave room for others to chime in.

Compostable.

Paper towels
Food scraps
Left overs
Dead plants - those roses you bought her were beautiful, now make them help the planet
Pet droppings - only do cat litter if it specifically says its compostable.


And the list can go on and on.

I completely see what you are getting at here, but too often, people don't have access to recycling programs that accept all those materials. I think the biggest example is with plastics. I have lived in three states in the past twelve months and each city had their own policies. Here are three of them

#1
no municipal curbside pick-up, all done through private companies and no plastics other than #1 and #2 plastics and they must be thoroughly washed with no lids. Only corrugated cardboard and full separation on all items

#2
single stream recycling with bi-weekly curbside pickup. Had to pay for the bin and they accepted everything except for plastic bags which almost all the grocery stores handled.

#3
single stream recycling with weekly pickup with garbage. Bin provided by municipality. Most plastic except #5 and plastic bags.

I know some areas that are more accepting and less accepting. Its not just about what is recyclable but what your area is set up to process.

So why can't we as consumers pressure out municipalities to provide us with the opportunities to be more sustainable and to take the power to be green into our own hands?

I don't see why we must just accept the lot we are handed when so much depends on everyone chipping in.

Recycling is one of those things that you don't need to provide too much motivation to get participation. It is a subsidized operation though. A municipality cannot pay for its operation with the sale of the collected recyclables. If we could instead create a system with less need for recycling and more biodegradeables or items that were more easily recyclable rather than downcycling which is actually the predominant practice, we would be in a much better place.

Wouldn't it be better if we were more conscious on the consumer end rather than the waste end. Recycling is simply an after thought, whether its in the home or at the workplace. We need to be more aware of what we purchase, what it is packaged in and how that effects our environment.

I see what you are saying with front end responsibility, but how likely is it that there are enough goods out there with an environmentally conscious position, that consumers could help shift packaging and other factors. I know that its the only way it would ever happen but it seems unlikely. If I am right, then recycling becomes very very important.

Why can't the waste stream and the recycling streams be merged. If we are already to the point where single stream recycling is possible, why doesn't someone start working on or develop a system that takes an entire domestic waste stream and sort to recycle? It makes sense to me. What would the drawback to a system like that be? They could also pre compact all the non-recyclables before sending them to the landfill.