What recycling set ups do we all have?
 

Recycling is one of those things that I suck at mainly because I haven't taken the time the put together a good system that facilitates the disposal of junk.

I basically have trash in the house and them some recycling stuff out in the garage, but even then not in a very organized manor.

How do you keep stuff organized? Do too many bins take up too much space?

we have a bin for paper sitting on a rack in the kitchen. For bottles/cans, we just put em by the sink. We don't drink much soda, and the only other canned thing I drink is beer. Plastic we're bad with, but its hard keeping gallon containers sitting. Recycling pickups are Fridays. Paper one week, bottles/plastic the next. Yard waste is in there somewhere. But I mulch with the mower, sticks I don't know a good way to bundle, so I toss.

Thanks to our previous owner, we simply used their setup. There are two garbage bins on a slide out. One for paper, one for paper/cans/etc. Once the paper bag in the bin fills up I take it out to the garage.

http://ecorenovator.org/pictures/house085.jpg

We don't really have a setup. In Roseville, we have a common waste stream that is then sorted at the Placer County Waste something or other. Green waste is finally in a separate can so that they can more easily make compost. We also have a compost bin that I occasionally add stuff to. I almost never turn it and it never rains here in summer so it is not very fast. I have been tempted to get a compost tumbler or something similar but I don't want to spend $350. It bugs me to see all my neighbors leaves wasted in the fall. My wife has started to give our cans and bottles to a friend who recycles them for cash.

Beautiful kitchen Daox from what I can see of it. I like the recycling station.

Cardboard, paper, and plastics w/o CRV go into the recycle bin provided by the garbage company, metals in large enough quantities go into a big pile destined for the scrap yard, and Al/plastic cans/glass bottles get turned in for cash.

I used to turn in glass/plastic for recycling, but glass was always tricky to handle without breaking, and plastic was too much work, so they go in the "common recycling can" that the county picks up. I still recycle aluminum for cash, using one of those big wheely-bins with the flip-over lid.

When I recycled plastic bottles, the recycling place required that the lids be off, so I would flatten the bottles and put the lid on before tossing in the bin. Weeks later, when I was ready to haul them away, the heat had baked them enough that I could remove lids and the bottles would stay flat. Took up much less space. :-)

Only plastic bag recycling at Giant Eagle and Walmart and aluminum recycling at the local junkyard. If one wants to recycle more and is not in an area that has recycling available on a decent scale, What can the person do? (Or is this not an appropriate place to ask?)

This is a fine place to ask. However, I don't really know. If there are no plastic recycling centers around... I would imagine you are out of luck. Might be worth calling up a few companies to see if they take plastic for recycling?

We have a can for trash and a can for recycling. They sort it. Food scraps into the compost (worm city!)

Here in Simcoe County, Ontario we have a very comprehensive recycling and waste diversion programme.

We have weekly curbside collection of "garbage" ( 1 bag per household).

The recycling bins are also picked up weekly with no limits.
-bottles and cans.
-cardboard and paper.
-empty aerosol cans, paint cans, plastic laundry jugs.
-"clamshell" plastic packaging.
-plastic flower pots and nursery cellpaks.
-tetra juice packages.

And, yes it does turn into a storage problem. I built a small shed, 30" wide by 8 feet long, faced with four doors for two garbage cans, the large green bin, and four blue boxes. At first it seemed like a bit of work, but now it's routine. Even my grandchildren have learned which bin/can is which.
We also have a "green bin" programme which includes almost anything organic.
-food scraps, including meat and bones.
-facial tissue, paper towels.
-coffee ground, tea bags.
-dryer lint.
Diapers and pet wastes are not accepted.

We pay an "eco fee" on the purchase of any product that presents a recycling "cost", from new tires, paints, batteries, flourescent lamps, electronics, appliances, disposable gas bottles and various household chemicals. We can drop these products off at the transfer station for free. The county will also take yard waste, broken concrete, asphalt and scrap metals for free.