With pollution and the environment and oceans being trashed do you think they should make it mandatory to recycle? I know it wouldn't solve all problems but it would be a big help.

It is here in Toronto but I still think we could go a lot further.

This used to be one of the cleanest cities in the world but the message our generation got through the 70s as kids seems to have faded with subsequent generations. The littering makes me sick. I can't bring myself to do it. If I have litter I'll leave it in my car or even put it in my purse until I get home or somewhere I can disgard it in a trash can properly.

I'd like to see both Canada and the U.S. really push in ad campaigns for not littering again like they did in the late 60s and early 70s. It did make a big difference (at least in Canada) and should be started again.

All it takes is getting into the habit of both recycling and putting anything that can't be recycled into a garbage can properly. People are so lazy it makes me sick.

btw, I have no children so it's not necessarily for future generations (at least of my own). It's just the least we can do for the fantastic life we've been given.

I think it should. It's an issue that affects the community.

Where I'm from, the entire city was given 2 blue bins for each household, one for paper and one for plastic, to put out on garbage day. I think it's made a lot more people recycle, simply out of convenience. Definitely a good idea on the city's part and I think a lot of others should do the same.

No it shouldn't. The government is already involved in our lives enough as it is. And now even more with this massive and waste of time and money economic bailout that just happened. I don't need someone telling how to throw away my trash.

I don't need someone telling how to throw away my trash.


Well let's hope you're smart enough and aware enough that you already do it properly.....however, it seems many don't and it's just pure laziness - nothing to do necessarily with government.

There's constant reminders around everywhere today to recycle - but if everyone ignores it, who else can enforce it other than the government.

YES. *recycle nazi*

We also have the curbside bins and I think that anyone who is too lazy to throw a bottle in the bin vs. the trash is a sorry excuse of a person. The landfill space saved in this country by not throwing away Tide bottles alone must be huge.

I do wish though that all forms of plastic could be recycled. I hate throwing away #5 cups.

Well let's hope you're smart enough and aware enough that you already do it properly.....however, it seems many don't and it's just pure laziness - nothing to do necessarily with government.

There's constant reminders around everywhere today to recycle - but if everyone ignores it, who else can enforce it other than the government.
I was at a sporting event a couple weeks ago, and the had a trash can right next to a recycle can. And these :censored: morons still threw their pop bottles in the trash!

In Singapore they fine you if you litter......that should happen in other countries too imo.

I was at a sporting event a couple weeks ago, and the had a trash can right next to a recycle can. And these :censored: morons still threw their pop bottles in the trash!

I can't tell you the number of recycling bins I've rumages through, taking out trash that can not be recycled, and vice verse. It's aggravating, but it's my duty as a human being to impact this planet as minimally as possible. If I have to pick up after irresponsible simpletons, then so be it.

I don't think recycling should be mandatory by law. I don't agree with government choosing for us. However, recycling should always be available, everywhere. And I would love to see more recycling options, such as #5 plastic. Fines for littering is not unreasonable, either.

Ideally, what I would like to see is a complete change of attitude. Our consumer based, throw away mentality is so detrimental to our finances and our environment. Why doesn't anything last anymore? I'd love to have machines that do not break down every 3-7 years. I'd love to reuse everything until it can't be used anymore... and then use recycle it into something else.

There's a lot I don't understand about our society. But the incredible amount of waste is maddening!

In Singapore they fine you if you litter......that should happen in other countries too imo.


I understand it's a hefty fine too! And you're fined for spitting or even chewing gum. Good for them! I think some things, if truly for the good of all, (and it is) should be enforced by the government if necessary.

Hell, it's not like they're going to raid your home with a SWAT team if you don't, it's for our own good - like wearing seatbelts.

I can't tell you the number of recycling bins I've rumages through, taking out trash that can not be recycled, and vice verse. It's aggravating, but it's my duty as a human being to impact this planet as minimally as possible. If I have to pick up after irresponsible simpletons, then so be it.

I don't think recycling should be mandatory by law. I don't agree with government choosing for us. However, recycling should always be available, everywhere. And I would love to see more recycling options, such as #5 plastic. Fines for littering is not unreasonable, either.

Ideally, what I would like to see is a complete change of attitude. Our consumer based, throw away mentality is so detrimental to our finances and our environment. Why doesn't anything last anymore? I'd love to have machines that do not break down every 3-7 years. I'd love to reuse everything until it can't be used anymore... and then use recycle it into something else.

There's a lot I don't understand about our society. But the incredible amount of waste is maddening!

Unfortunately, our society has become lazy and spoiled - simple as that. As Cathy said, the bins can be beside each other, but people still throw it in the trash. To me, it says that they're so used to NOT recycling, they just throw everything in the trash.

Meanwhile, during the depression, peoples' shoes and boots could be resoled 3 or 4 times before they bought new. Toasters, blenders, etc. later on would even be fixed. Nowadays, we just think nothing of tossing out the old one for new - even if the old one was still working fine (I'm guilty of it as well). I think a lot has to do with the fact that several generations really haven't had to do without. Sure, we still have the poor, but it's not like it was during the 30s and 40s (not that I would know first hand mind you - but I actually did listen to my parent's stories occasionally....;) )

Could be we're heading more there a bit now with the economy going into the dumper. I have never heard the "D" word brought up - always a recession until now. And it could well happen. Maybe it's the kick in the ass we all need to remind us since we're not listening or looking at all the recycling bins that are available to us.

Yes, because it helps protect the environment

Sure. It's not like it's anymore work than just throwing stuff away.

I grew up with all the ad campaigns getting pounded into your head so I do my best to recycle everything i can and I am appalled when i see the people in the area I live now litter the way they do.

I live a block away from a corner store and every day when i get home from work i literally have to go pick up 4 or five pieces of trash of my lawn - EVERY DAY. Almost every day I see people throwing trash out their car window or even worse throwing it on the ground when they are literally standing a few feet from a garbage can.

I think that if people can't use enough common sense then i think that they should be fined, but it would be impossible to enforce. It would be nice if local governments made more of an effort to promote recycling and anti-littering and took steps to make it easier for people to recycle, but I don't think that nearly enough people give a crap about it around here.

I grew up with all the ad campaigns getting pounded into your head so I do my best to recycle everything i can and I am appalled when i see the people in the area I live now litter the way they do.

I live a block away from a corner store and every day when i get home from work i literally have to go pick up 4 or five pieces of trash of my lawn - EVERY DAY. Almost every day I see people throwing trash out their car window or even worse throwing it on the ground when they are literally standing a few feet from a garbage can.

I think that if people can't use enough common sense then i think that they should be fined, but it would be impossible to enforce. It would be nice if local governments made more of an effort to promote recycling and anti-littering and took steps to make it easier for people to recycle, but I don't think that nearly enough people give a crap about it around here.
Yeah...for as long as people have been told to recycle (newspapers at the very least), and that littering is bad, I just don't understand the lack of effort people put forth. It's like they think the litter fairy is going to come and pick up after them, or that we have this infinite amount of landfill space. ohno:

The school I work at makes absolutely zero effort to recycle or even to promote it. They use the green recycle bins for lunch boxes. Hell, 20 years earlier when I was in school, we had those bins and we used them! But apparently my employing district doesn't care to make its students responsible members of society.

In Seattle, they will fine you if they find non-recylable stuff in your recycle bins, but in my county they don't do that yet. I think it should be mandatory. I recycle EVERYTHING. At home, we always have a TON Of recycle stuff and very little trash.
I hate seeing people throw away paper. I'm serious, it literally burns me up! At work if people finish reading the paper, they will leave it in the break room. But then during the day it ends up getting stuff on it and then is unfit for recycling. If I bring a paper to work, I always toss it in the recycle thing when I'm finished (I don't share, aren't I terrible?).

If I buy something that comes in those clamshell boxes (the kind that have the surrounding plastic that you need a hacksaw to get into!) it usually has a cardboard insert, so I will throw the plastic away and recycle the insert. I REALLY wish they would find a way to recycle plastic around here! I hate that they can't do it. What's so hard about it? I would think that you could just melt it down and use it to make new stuff!
They are really cracking down on plastic bags around here, too. They are trying to start charging people 5 cents per bag-paper AND plastic in King County (or maybe just the Seattle area).
I like the canvas ones, but those are just going to end up in a landfill too, one day!

Andrea

Luckily they do accept plastic up here - including styrofoam so it's great. They'll even recycle plastic bags - you just have to fill one bag with the others and tie it (it gets done separately). I toss everything little bit I can in - including straws.

We also compost - kitchen stuff including meat and bones can go in. Even human and pet hair - I clean my brushes over the compost bucket. Kleenexes, you name it.

I'm lucky if I have one green garbage bag full every 4 - 6 weeks and the rest is composted or recycled.

I even save old batteries separately and computer equipment and bring that to the recycling depot. People have no idea what can be recycled. Hopefully more areas will be able to handle more of it.

DEFINITELY!!!!!!!!!! I'm a huge eco-freak and I believe taking care of mother nature and the earth that we live on should be a law. People are lazy and ignorant, and it needs to stop. Global warming is happening as we speak, it's real and people need to pull their heads out of their "you know whats". It makes me sick when I am so careful about recycling every little inch of paper, pick up litter, clean up toxic waste at our local waters ect. and then I see people do STUPID things like litter, leave their car running for no reason, throw away recyclables and other careless things.

This is one of those topics that get's me going.

I went to Target today and bought this little $2 wastebasket to throw paper in in my office. I actually dug paper out of the trash today and took it home because I just couldn't take throwing the paper away anymore.

In Seattle, they will fine you if they find non-recylable stuff in your recycle bins, but in my county they don't do that yet. I think it should be mandatory. I recycle EVERYTHING. At home, we always have a TON Of recycle stuff and very little trash.
I hate seeing people throw away paper. I'm serious, it literally burns me up! At work if people finish reading the paper, they will leave it in the break room. But then during the day it ends up getting stuff on it and then is unfit for recycling. If I bring a paper to work, I always toss it in the recycle thing when I'm finished (I don't share, aren't I terrible?).

If I buy something that comes in those clamshell boxes (the kind that have the surrounding plastic that you need a hacksaw to get into!) it usually has a cardboard insert, so I will throw the plastic away and recycle the insert. I REALLY wish they would find a way to recycle plastic around here! I hate that they can't do it. What's so hard about it? I would think that you could just melt it down and use it to make new stuff!
They are really cracking down on plastic bags around here, too. They are trying to start charging people 5 cents per bag-paper AND plastic in King County (or maybe just the Seattle area).
I like the canvas ones, but those are just going to end up in a landfill too, one day!

Andrea

I think everything and anything should be recycled..I buy recycled too...I Just bought a broom and a canvas bag for groceries that were made out of recycled plastic bottles...I wont use those awful plastic bags at the grocery store...I have a ton of canvas bags..and they will last alot longer before they end up in the trash and landfills.

I went to Target today and bought this little $2 wastebasket to throw paper in in my office. I actually dug paper out of the trash today and took it home because I just couldn't take throwing the paper away anymore.
Ha ha, I've done that too! In fact yesterday, my boss had printed something on the printer, showed it to another employee and then tossed it in my recycling box under my desk. Before I went home, I pulled the papers out (there were about 7 sheets) and took them home to use in our printer. My husband thinks I'm :crazy: but I find it more economical to print on the back of something (like stuff from work) if I'm just printing stuff to read once-or pictures to hang on my cubicle. If its something that is "important" than I'll use a new piece of paper.

When we go to Costco, we always buy those huge things of paper towels and toilet paper rolls. They always come in those gigantic bags so when we open them, I save the bags and then when it comes time to take out the recycling or trash, I just put everything in there. It's still a big bag, but at least I've reused it instead of throwing it away.

Andrea

I definitely think recycling should be mandatory!! Oregon is the number 1 recycling State, and I've been on a mission for over 5 years to spread the word about the importance of recycling. I use to go to people I knew who didn't recycle's houses, and take their recyclables home with me, so I'm kind of an extremist in this area. And of course with America being the producer of 75 percent of the worlds garbage, I think that makes it all the more urgent that recycling be mandatory.

... leave their car running for no reason...



Yes! That's something that really gets me! It makes no sense to leave your vehicle running while you sip coffee and talk about the weather. The only purpose for the engine is to get you from point A to point B and back again. Turn it off. Don't waste energy. Don't idle.

I definitely think recycling should be mandatory!! Oregon is the number 1 recycling State, and I've been on a mission for over 5 years to spread the word about the importance of recycling. I use to go to people I knew who didn't recycle's houses, and take their recyclables home with me, so I'm kind of an extremist in this area. And of course with America being the producer of 75 percent of the worlds garbage, I think that makes it all the more urgent that recycling be mandatory.

I think it's awesome that Oregon is so big on recycling. I've noticed that Downtown Portland is a lot cleaner than Downtown Seattle. My husband and I used to buy a ton of soft drinks in bottles and cans and then save the empty ones. Once a month we would drive down to Portland and take this huge bag of cans/bottles. Then we would find one of those cool recycle things that the Oregon grocery stores have and put them in there. Not only are we recycling, but we used to sometimes get enough cash back to fill up our tank! Sadly, now the profit is only about a fourth of a tank, but still...

And this is kind of offtopic: but I absolutely LOVE the Max that runs through Portland! We SOOO need something like that in Seattle, but I'm starting to think that it will never happen!:(

Andrea