..I want a little blue box*

DID YOU KNOW …

• The U.S. produces and uses 1/3 of the world's paper supply.
  
• Forests in the southeastern U.S. now supply a quarter of the total global amount of paper.
  
• Producing one ton of paper requires 2-3 times its weight in trees.
  
• Making paper from recycled content creates 74% less air pollution and 35% less water pollution.
  

 

I got that from my Traditional Medicinals tea box… and I had to stare at it for a long time just pondering why the state of Michigan, or rather, the U.S., doesn't make it easier to recycle. I mean, setting up more recycling centers and more pick-ups in cities would definitely increase recycling. Many don't recycle because it's "inconvenient" and isn't as easy and throwing everything in one bag… and off it goes to a landfill.

Honestly, currently, we don't "recycle"—I say that because it's all sitting in our basement right now. Why? Because in the city where I live—there isn't local pick-up like there are in surrounding cities in my area. We have about a years worth of cardboard, glass, aluminum cans, etc—in the basement, waiting to be recycled. It's so frustrating because now it's in such a mass amount that we don't know how to deal with it and it's taking over one side of our whole basement—which is the same size as our three-bedroom-house.

Anyways, my short rant on how much of an inconvenience it is that we don't have local pick-ups in our area… and the housing we live in—sure, they have a dumpster labeled "recycled cardboard only" but NO ONE in this area puts recycled products in there! They throw GARBAGE in there…and every time we WANT to put recycled stuff in there—it's packed full of trash. And my husband contacted the housing and waste management (where the dumpsters belong) and they can't enforce anything and they won't pick through the garbage to get to the recycled stuff. A couple of times we have waited until the truck comes so the dumpster is empty—than quickly fill it to the top with recycled stuff but then we noticed that people that live near us still put garbage ON TOP of that. What is wrong with people? Sigh… I just wish we can put our stuff in those cute little blue boxes by our mailbox…How awesome..AND CONVENIENT!

I've thought about SOMEHOW putting up some sort of…knowledge based thing here to educate the people living in housing…but I don't know where to start; any ideas? Do you have troubles recycling? How do you deal with it if it's an "inconvenience"?