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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

If you didn't *have* to, would you still recycle your rubbish?

108 replies

JoySzasz · 03/06/2011 16:10

I live in the US,in my small town it is not (as yet) the law to recycle anything!

I used to be very organized,all our 'trash' was correctly placed in the correct recycling bin.

Now I don't Blush life has got way too hectic,and I noticed that all of my paper and plastic would end up strewn all over the lawn.

I opted to just do glass.

From friends and family back in the UK,I have learnt that there is no option -one must. Grin Many of them hate all the various different bins etc...and have confessed they wouldn't bother if it was not the law.

So,if you didn't have to ...would you still bother?

Honestly ...? Wink

OP posts:
DontGoCurly · 03/06/2011 20:29

@ LostMyIdentityAlongTheWay

It wouldn't make any difference. It's a newish estate and it all goes in giant bins. Some are purple, some are green. All are full of mixed rubbish and no-one knows what goes in which......the management company doesn't differentiate, it all goes in landfill I guess ...lovely eh!

I have recycled in my previous house. But the council charged ?400 a YEAR for bins there (different county) and I really resented it. Imagine having to pay that on top of outrageous taxes just to get the bins lifted and then they wanted us to sort it for them too!!!

PAH!!!

LineRunner · 03/06/2011 20:29

Bless you, Lost. But I'm afraid that my kids think I am a bit 'touched'. Today I pruned the apple tree but am leaving the branches in the garden overnight under the tree so that the insect life can 're-home' itself. When I shriek at DS and languid DD 'But I'm doing all this for you!' they don't seem to be in the least bit grateful.

nijinsky · 03/06/2011 20:39

Only if they introduced the system of taking your rubbish to street bins which are segregated for different types of rubbish, as in most European countries. I hate having different bins for everything and a fortnightly collection. Of course British people probably wouldn't then take their rubbish to the bins themselves, as there wouldn't be anyone to do it for them.

LordOfTheFlies · 03/06/2011 20:41

YY to recycling.
Largely because I'm extremely mean. I have to buy black bin bags (no wheelie bins here) but orange bags are free(Paper,plastic,thin card)
Glass isn't taken but Tesco recycle gives Clubcard points .
And smashing glass in the recycle machine is the Best free anger management.

chicletteeth · 03/06/2011 20:47

Hey Linerunner, I get you.

I was addressing the OP since her post implied that it was law over here.

And whilst I am obsessive about recycling myself, I've never considered the law.

My compost is lovely Grin I bought it heavily subsidised from our council (£10 versus about £150 rrp) and it is full and makes beautiful compost.

Right now though, I've got spuds growing out of it, not sure what to do about that?

I have many beautiful mini-beasts that live in and around it too and since it's been there, we've wild raspberries growing right by it.

My kids know exactly what to do BTW, started them early on all fronts, paper, plastic, tins, old bits of food etc....

It is habit for them and I'm glad I've started it young since they'll continue as they've been taught.

You don't sound mental BTW, just doing what I think really we should all be doing.

bitofthisandthat · 03/06/2011 20:48

It makes my teeth itch to see plastic bottles thrown away with the normal rubbish, especially at work where some people put the massive 6-pint bottles in the bin... i usually am the only one to be found fishing them out....

I also get annoyed with anyone who doesnt recycle....its not hard, it doesnt take much time, and why would you want all those enormous plastic/glass bottles buried in huge horrid cess pits??

jasminetom · 04/06/2011 05:25

I used to live in Dorset and can barely recall any trash being collected ever, let alone recycling.
Now I live in Qatar I reuse obvious things like plastic cartonsetc but i don't recycle anything. I wouldn't if I lived in the UK, I too despise eco fascism and also I think it's a load of bollocks. I do my best by never throwing away anything that may be useful to someone else (clothes get given to the cleaners) my old laptop went to my cleaners kids in India, etc. I don't believe that councils recycle most of the stuff they say they do, it's lip service. I have a clear conscience.

jasminetom · 04/06/2011 05:30

and sorry but I do believe we own the planet. What's the point of living if we don't. I really don't care about other generations.

iscream · 04/06/2011 05:52

Of course.

jaggythistle · 04/06/2011 06:07

yes, i don't like the idea of just chucking it all in a big hole.

our council have just given us another bin (4 wheelies now) and we can recycle so much that the general waste one (now the smallest) is nearly all nappies! we also get a food waste caddy with free degradable liners for plate scrapings etc.

this includes taking glass to recycle point ourselves which we already did.

we actually bought stacking boxes to separate waste, had to put them in the hall though as no room in kitchen.

mrsbiscuits · 04/06/2011 07:11

I think the most frustrating thing about the whole recycling thing is storage. Our council only collect certain stuff and issue 2 small orange boxes per household to store it in. On top of which they only collect every 2 weeks. I live in a small terraced house with nowhere to store rubbish and so it lives outside my front door with the general rubbish wheelie bin ( which is also only emptied every 2 weeks) and looks horrible. So if I could have 2 wheelie bins to just throw everything into at the moment I would. However, if we had weekly collections and or a recycling place close by that we could easily walk to then I would defo recycle even if I wasn't encouraged to ( we don't have to in our town by the way, it's not compulsory and no one checks our rubbish)

onceamai · 04/06/2011 07:16

We don't have to recycle where we live - in Wandsworth - where to be fair the bin collections are superb. But of course I recycle, it's the right thing to do and it's very little trouble. I just wish manufacturers would cut down on the packaging and that we could have things refilled.

BeeMyBaby · 04/06/2011 07:30

Still optional for us, and we do just because we therefore get more bin space overall de-cantering some bits and pieces into the separate recycle bins.

nannyl · 04/06/2011 09:29

Yes

have recyled everything possible since before we had to.

Also its not a LAW, just the councils wont collect their bins if they contain the wrong type of rubbish. You wont got to jail for throwing away a jam jar or a news paper.

I recycle everything i can and am lucky that glass is collected here. (not collected in my old house)
We have to pay extra for garden waste to be collected (not allowed in domestic rubbish) although we compost ours
We compost everything compostable, recycle everything recyclable, buy most veg fruit / veg from market so it comes in paper bags that we compost, and i do try to avoid buying heavily packaged stuff when i can and to re-use carrier bags.

trixymalixy · 04/06/2011 09:31

Yes, I did before we had to. I was responsible for getting recycling bins at work as I just could not put my plastic bottles in the bin.

chicletteeth · 04/06/2011 09:32

Wow jasminetom you sound delightful Hmm

What's ecofascism got to do with anything.

Plenty of people recycle because they don't want it to go landfill if it doesn't have to.

It's really no more complicated than that.

You feel the earth is yours to ruin and stuff our children, and their children etc...?

Really?

Stangirl · 04/06/2011 09:43

No. In fact I don't now, our household only recycles because DP does it.

wordsonascreen · 04/06/2011 09:52

I live in Dubai where theres one giant dumpster outside on the street.
The schools tend to have recycling facilities so I have to do the walk of shame (with clanking bottles) during the school run.

After a party it can get very embarassing Grin

wordsonascreen · 04/06/2011 09:53

Mind you a lot of MN consider Dubai to be one giant dumpster.

handsomeharry · 04/06/2011 09:57

I don't recycle. I have a paper bin, garden waste and just a 'normal' bin. Everything goes in it. I don't have strong feelings about it, I've just never done it.

jasminetom · 04/06/2011 12:14

I am delightful thanks, just because I don't share your (rather narrow) values does not mean you are in a position to judge. I honestly do not care about recycling when it is not really going to change anything. I totally respect other people's choice to do what they want with their trash. And for all your raised eyebrow and patronising tones, the thought of having to meet people like you face to face leaves me cold and is the reason I avoid the UK whenever possible.

TheFlyingOnion · 04/06/2011 12:16

jasminetom - wow, you've met everyone in the UK and they're all horrible, are they Hmm?

FabbyChic · 04/06/2011 12:16

I never recycle, I can't be arsed.

jasminetom · 04/06/2011 12:18

clever

jasminetom · 04/06/2011 12:19

It is fairly obvious who my post is to. Really...

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