Minneapolis Recycling

[Beenhere4ever]

I think not recycling is less of a problem than doing the job unenthusiastically. When recyclers had to sort, there was no chance of garbage getting into recycling if you simply didn't do it. Now that people have two carts, it is possible for both carts to have a mix. Public recycle receptacles show what a casual attitude causes. You can find trash in all of them.

[xandrex]

Originally Posted by Beenhere4ever

I think not recycling is less of a problem than doing the job unenthusiastically. When recyclers had to sort, there was no chance of garbage getting into recycling if you simply didn't do it. Now that people have two carts, it is possible for both carts to have a mix. Public recycle receptacles show what a casual attitude causes. You can find trash in all of them.

True, but since there are actual people who then have to sort it at the site who weed out trash (or random pieces that can be recycled but didn't make it to the correct area). It certainly adds cost. But single-sort isn't meant to be a cheaper option. It's meant to make it easier for people to recycle and therefore increase recycling on the front-end.

[1stpontiac]

Are apartments covered by the single-stream options anyways? In my last city, they had single-stream for homes, but multi-unit buildings (including townhomes, apartments, and condos) had privately-contracted waste recycling, so it didn't apply there. Of course, managers or landlords could make some of those arrangements on their own if they wished.

[xandrex]

Originally Posted by 1stpontiac

Are apartments covered by the single-stream options anyways? In my last city, they had single-stream for homes, but multi-unit buildings (including townhomes, apartments, and condos) had privately-contracted waste recycling, so it didn't apply there. Of course, managers or landlords could make some of those arrangements on their own if they wished.

I believe in Minneapolis the city only has monopoly on garbage for places with four units or less. Otherwise, it is the apartment management's job to privately contract. But I do know they must have recycling. My apartment just switched to single sort a few months ago.

[Ghengis]

I still sort my recycling, the recycling guy just dumps everything in the back anyways. One morning I went out to complain about him disenfranchising my sorting efforts and he just looked at me like I was nuts or something. Frustrated, I went back inside, put my clothes on and left for work.

[Beenhere4ever]

Wonder what the 80 percent who didn't recycle did with their mercury and lithium batteries that aren't supposed to be in the garbage.

[MnMomma]

Originally Posted by Beenhere4ever

Wonder what the 80 percent who didn't recycle did with their mercury and lithium batteries that aren't supposed to be in the garbage.

They definitely just put them in the garbage. My parents had about 10 mercury thermometers in their house. When I explained that they could/should trade them in for digital, my dad said "OK...I'll just throw these away." He got the message that he shouldn't use them...but not the reason why. I had to rescue them from the trash to dispose of them properly. ugh.

[Beenhere4ever]

So sweet to know what we've been breathing because of the brilliant decision to burn garbage when there was zero control over what went in the burner.