Why don't people just recycle?????
818658
I do recycle personally; even though some places make it an absolute pain to do so.\n\nOne place I lived, they had a "recycling" place.  However, in order to use it, you had to go when it was open, which was only one Saturday a month for two hours.  Then you had to take all the recycling you had piled up during that time and seperate it yourself.\n\nIt was sometimes too much to handle, especially because I used to have to travel some weekends, so sometimes I would have to make two or three trips to deliver all my two or three months worth of recylycing... which even if you wash it out at home before storing it... didn't exactly smell nice.\n\nWhere I am now they actually take it all curbside once a week (the same day as trash)... which is SO nice.  Another place I lived you had to take your own garbage to the town "dump"  If you didn't recycle (or volunteer at the recycling station at least once a year) you were given quite a hard time.  It was a small New England town, so they really did care and worked hard to recycle.\n\nTowns and cities need to make it easier, and people will just catch on.  Then they won't remember what it was like not to.  Change takes time... but you have to make it a little easier for people.
222786
Try your local recycling center. You may be able to get a good one for free!
1150328
Education! People have to learn more about pollution and what effects their actions (dumping, buying goods with a lot of packaging etc.) have on the environment. Only then people can act responsibly, reduce waste and recycle and reuse as much as possible.
528352
The answer to the first question is Yes. As to how much energy we can save and how much garbage we can reduce, I'd recommend calling the local disposal service. Most of them either have recycling programs, or have at least studied them.\n\nI've noticed recycling has caught on big-time in the California cities but is lagging in the smaller towns such as the one where I live. So I found a local non-profit group that hires handicapped people to collect recyclables, and I started a compost heap. I may not be the perfect example you're looking for, but since I got serious about these things, we went from two full cans of trash per week to less than half of one can.\n\nGood question.
758102
Your recycling program. It turns out that at my high school we have recycle bins, but we don't even have a recycling contract with disposal company, so everything gets trashed anyway.
474364
I think it does help. In Europe they have a policy that most of a building has to be recycled.  It does take energy to recycle, but over all it takes more energy to make it from scratch.  Not to mention the limited resources that are depleted and destroyed over time.  Just my two cents and your millage may very.  :)
602278
An ongoing problem for condo owners.  Luckily our trash gets picked up at each door.  But for those who have bins, people just drive up in the middle of the night, dump carpets, shingles, or any refuse they need to get rid of without having to pay for it.\nI guess the trick is to catch them and report them.  Maybe they can get fined.  Not sure about the rules in this case.\n\nI guess I wasn't much help in an answer.  But perhpas if you all get together (your association) they can come up with an alternative that would solve your dilemna.  Perhaps a different garbage collection system.
397101
Try taking a look on your local freecycle bulletin board.  You'd be amazed at the items that people are giving away simply to keep them out of the landfill.  Go to www.freecycle.org.
775908
Where's it's economically viable to recycle we should, when not, we should reuse, and if that doesn't work, then start with new.  \n\nWe are NOT running out of landfill space, we are SO far away from that it isn't even funny.  We could build a single land fill 24 miles wide and it'd be enough to throw everything away for the next 5000 years, and we could use the methane to power Las Vegas.  \n\nRecycling paper to save trees is like recycling tortillas to save corn.  They aren't chopping down 500 year old red woods so you can read a news paper.
367701
I think you mean aluminum and plastic resources. Aluminum and plastic are highly recyclable, but in some areas, they are difficult to recycle because of economic, geographic, and government factors.\n\nThe answer would depend on what people drank instead of soda. If they are drinking milk, juice, bottled water, or alcoholic beverages, which also come in cans and bottles, the answer is no.   \n\nIf people drink less fluid in general (probably not healthy), or drink tap water out of containers they re-use (like glasses or nalgene bottles), then yes. How many consumers can we reasonably expect to do that, when many folks can't even be bothered to put their aluminum cans in a separate container?
214122
Everyone adapts to their own environment. I agree that most Americans are wasteful but it's all relative to what you know.  People in other cultures besides yours may think that your people are wasteful in some way.  Look around at what you may take for granted and try to realize that it depends on how you live compared to those less fortunate.
489991
My city has curbside recycling.  Just put it at the curb on trash day.  We do recycle.  And husband takes the bus to work.  My family is doing all it can.
85902
They are charging for the bags.  It is part of the overhead tacked onto the price of the items.  This is America.  Most people do not care about the plastic waste.  Some communities do collect used bags for recycle (in fact our local Kroger has bins for bags as you enter the store).  I am told by some of the store managers that there can be problems with people bringing in bags and attempting to shoplift.\nWe would save more oil (used to make plastic and fuel) if people would just stop shopping more than once a week or so).  A single small item n a bag is a real waste.
16907
Try going on Yahoo Groups and search for a local "freecycle" group. They allow people to give away stuff they don't need / want anymore to people who can use it... freeing up space in landfills.\n\nI've seen everything from cameras to cars given away there... just as a warning, it can get rather addictive.\n\nhope this helps :-)
723425
The way I see it is: as a society we are mass consumers. We buy, use a little, then throw away. Very wasteful. If you can reuse something, it puts a smaller demand on resources and your own pocketbook, not to mention the impact that recycling has on the environment that we live in. It's too bad that we are trained to just be consumers and not to see ahead enough to recognize the problems associated with this consumerism. Good Luck! That's my two bits.
1070197
i am not sure if they do it in america but i get rid of all mine on freecycle.\n\nas long as you give it away for free then the person that wants it comes to your house and takes it away, at your convienience.  \n\nit's good for big items and stops landfill sites becoming even fuller.  i have given away a lot of baby stuff that otherwise the people couldn't have afforded  -a pram for example\n\ni feel that i am doing something good for me - gets rid of clutter, for the people getting the stuff and for the planet\n\nbest of wishes to you for thinking of other people - take care and lots of hugs\n\nthey do do it in the us - just checked - visit here and if there is not one for your area then start your own.
266813
We all need to be conscience of recycling at home:cans, bottles, plastics, newspapers, etc. Some people do not make an effort. Also, we should by products made of recycled materials. If we throw everything away, eventually there won't be any room to put all of that trash. \n\nIn the public matter, hazardous waste needs to be closely monitored and properly disposed of. Our environment can't handle much more careless waste management. Hope this helps!