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

[JoySzasz]

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 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. 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 ...?

I should not have used the word "law" :) but if councils are refusing to collect incorrectly placed recycling,it could not be classed as guide lines could it?

It certainly feels like the law when your rubbish is ignored, and has angry lettering all over it!

Yes we just have 2 bins, green for rubbish blue for recycling. Paper, glass, tins, cardboard and aerosols go in one bin with a seperate bit for newspapers. This bin is collected fortnightly. This leaves more room in my green bin which is collected weekly. Before i had the blue bin i frequently started the next week with 2 black bags allready half filling the green bin as the bin men dont collect loose bags.

forgot about the dark green bin collected fortnightly for all garden waste

We live in the US and in our town recycling is strongly encouraged. We recycle cardboard, paper, glass and tins. It doesn't take much effort.

I was shocked to learn that where I grew up now has bin collection every two weeks. We pay $280 a year for our rubbish to be collected twice a week, the recycling center and household waste removal (you drop off whatever you want to chuck at the recycling center and they take care of it). We throw out two small trash bags a week, as do most of our neighbours. I have to say I prefer this system as we never have smelly rubbish festering in the dustbin and it keeps the rodents away.

oh and I forgot about the garden waste. You have to put it in special paper bags which are biodegradable. They will collect up to two bags a week of 'green waste' during April-August and then we have leaf collection from October-December. Leaf collection involves raking leaves into a pile on the street 2-3 days before scheduled collection. You can pick up free compost and mulch from the recycling center.

jasminetom, how on earth you get from any of my posts that my views are narrow, I'll never know. I'm not the one throwing up words like fascism and referring to recycling as bollocks..

Saying however the you own the planet.... well that's a balanced, well-thought out point of view isn't it?

I am glad you avoid the UK quite frankly you wouldn't get on well in much of Northern Europe either (where they are much more ecofriendly) so best stay well clear

To be utterly completely honest - probably not.

that you own the planet

(you certainly don't speak for me and not for many other people either)