Ongoing Calgarians throwing things into the wrong bins thread

[corporatejay]

You mean the recycling materials we can't sell anymore so they end up in the landfill?

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by bizaro86

Probably what will fix the problem is charging more for extra garbage. After all, if you give people an incentive to trow their garbage in the recycling, lots of people will.

I wouldn't be so sure about that. People are lazy.

[llwhiteoutll]

I’m all for a smaller black bin since I hardly use mine at all, I’d also like theboption of a smaller green and blue bin. Since it’s just me, I don’t generate nearly enough waste to justify 3 huge bins.

The one thing that doesn’t make sense is the eventual goal of zero waste by diverting everything to either recycling, conposting or repurposing. How does the city expect to remove things like plastics that can’t be recycled or diapers? It seems like you can never achieve zero garbage

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by llwhiteoutll

I’m all for a smaller black bin since I hardly use mine at all, I’d also like theboption of a smaller green and blue bin. Since it’s just me, I don’t generate nearly enough waste to justify 3 huge bins.

The one thing that doesn’t make sense is the eventual goal of zero waste by diverting everything to either recycling, conposting or repurposing. How does the city expect to remove things like plastics that can’t be recycled or diapers? It seems like you can never achieve zero garbage

Perhaps you should take another look at their plan.

https://forum.calgarypuck.com/showpo...&postcount=307

Spoiler alert, they have no idea.

[Travis Munroe]

I have packages arrive multiple times a week from Amazon through the subscribe and save program for common everyday goods. Call me an idiot but I have been recycling the styrofoam all this time. According to the cities website, even if it says recycle right on it, put it in the black bin.

[stampsx2]

Originally Posted by llwhiteoutll

I’m all for a smaller black bin since I hardly use mine at all, I’d also like theboption of a smaller green and blue bin. Since it’s just me, I don’t generate nearly enough waste to justify 3 huge bins.

The one thing that doesn’t make sense is the eventual goal of zero waste by diverting everything to either recycling, conposting or repurposing. How does the city expect to remove things like plastics that can’t be recycled or diapers? It seems like you can never achieve zero garbage

Ya it’s pretty bad when China stops taking our recyclables since they’re unusable or contaminated.

Most people don’t even know that plastics smaller than the palm of your hand can’t get sorted by the machines at recycling plants. That means coffee lids.

[Wormius]

I thought if you bagged all the small scrap pieces of plastic together that it was okay to put in the recycling. Similar to what they recommend for shredded paper.

[RedHot25]

Originally Posted by stampsx2

Most people don’t even know that plastics smaller than the palm of your hand can’t get sorted by the machines at recycling plants. That means coffee lids.

I don't think that's a reason. Coffee lids can't, I believe because they are too lightweight and fly away easy.

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I wouldn't be so sure about that. People are lazy.

My first sentence was sarcasm.

Charging people for extra garbage means many people won't pay. The most convenient thing to do with extra garbage is put it in the green/blue bins, so that is what many people will do.

I think it's probably cheaper to pick up people's garbage when you're driving a garbage truck by their house than it is to sort it out of compost/recycle.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by ken0042

What about the styrofoam trays that meat comes on? I can't see a year's worth of those fitting into a bin, never mind the smell.

I put all of them in there, plus any styrofoam from any other packaging. Other items for me would be clothes that would not be suitable for donation, had to replace my dog's plush baskets this year, not much really. I don't drink coffee so no coffee cups, don't use straws.

There are 2 adults in my house, we are not big meat eaters, eat it 2 to 3 times a week. Any trays I do have I rinse first. They stack together very neatly. Some meat trays are now plastic, not styrofoam so they can be recycled.

[Ducay]

Originally Posted by Realtor 1

I have packages arrive multiple times a week from Amazon through the subscribe and save program for common everyday goods. Call me an idiot but I have been recycling the styrofoam all this time. According to the cities website, even if it says recycle right on it, put it in the black bin.

I'd say 75% of the things you think you can recycle - Calgary specifically does not.

Styrofoam, heck, most food packaging/bags they don't recycle. If you go through their website of what you can actually recycle its basically cardboard and plastic bags when properly.....bagged(Yo dawg, heard u like bags so I put your bags in a bag), or so it feels

[CaramonLS]

Originally Posted by Ducay

I'd say 75% of the things you think you can recycle - Calgary specifically does not.

Styrofoam, heck, most food packaging/bags they don't recycle. If you go through their website of what you can actually recycle its basically cardboard and plastic bags when properly.....bagged(Yo dawg, heard u like bags so I put your bags in a bag), or so it feels

No common sense then it comes to what goes into a blue bin.

http://www.calgary.ca/UEP/WRS/Pages/...container.aspx

http://www.calgary.ca/UEP/WRS/Pages/...e/Binders.aspx

Seriously? Throw the lid into the black bin, but the bottle can go into the blue bin? Rip the cardboard out of a binder, throw the metal and the vinyl out?

[woob]

Originally Posted by CaramonLS

No common sense then it comes to what goes into a blue bin.

http://www.calgary.ca/UEP/WRS/Pages/...container.aspx

http://www.calgary.ca/UEP/WRS/Pages/...e/Binders.aspx

Seriously? Throw the lid into the black bin, but the bottle can go into the blue bin? Rip the cardboard out of a binder, throw the metal and the vinyl out?

It's called some things are recyclable in our recycling system and some things are not. Sorry that it'll take you 2 seconds to take the lid off your bottle or 20 seconds to rip out the cardboard.

[Fuzz]

I'm always amazed at how little effort people are willing to put into recycling. Hell, back in the old days you had to collect it in several bins, then drive to a central facility! Had to walk uphill both ways to do it, too.

[81MC]

Browsing this thread, it’s apparent that I have not been a good recycler. I try to reduce my waste as much as possible in general, but even recycling is rather taxing on expenses and energy use.
Reduce, Reuse seem to be the most important sides of the recycling triangle.

[taco.vidal]

Does anyone know if City of Calgary uses cameras on its collection trucks to monitor and record whats being dumped from each bin?
I know some cities have been doing this for all their bins for some time. I thought I read that CoC was doing this for garbage only already. I cant find the article or source. One of this weeks’s articles did say the current bins do have RFID tags in them already so that can help identify whos bin it is regardless of whether you place it in front of your neighbours house.

[llwhiteoutll]

Originally Posted by taco.vidal

Does anyone know if City of Calgary uses cameras on its collection trucks to monitor and record whats being dumped from each bin?
I know some cities have been doing this for all their bins for some time. I thought I read that CoC was doing this for garbage only already. I cant find the article or source. One of this weeks’s articles did say the current bins do have RFID tags in them already so that can help identify whos bin it is regardless of whether you place it in front of your neighbours house.

I’ve never heard of anyone actually being fined for putting the wrong material into a bin. Anyway, it would be next to impossible for the city to actually prove that you put it it the bin in the first place.

I also doubt they are RFID tagged. When they dropped the bins off, there were a few people randomly pulling them from a truck and putting them in front of homes

[taco.vidal]

Originally Posted by llwhiteoutll

I’ve never heard of anyone actually being fined for putting the wrong material into a bin. Anyway, it would be next to impossible for the city to actually prove that you put it it the bin in the first place.

I also doubt they are RFID tagged. When they dropped the bins off, there were a few people randomly pulling them from a truck and putting them in front of homes

Other municipalities do issue fines. I dont know how the programs work. Im guessing first offense is a warning. Its also likely theyre trying to catch bad offenders who do it regularly or dump hazardous waste into the bin.

The bins do have serial numbers on them. You may be right that they were just randomly dropped off without any record but they could have recorded the serial number against an address or scanned the RFID right when dropping off.

[Amethyst]

I keep my bins in the garage until the night before pick-up. One day, I opened my garbage bin to see if it had been picked up yet and found a giant bag of someone else's garbage had been added to it. If they start charging people for putting the wrong things in their bins, people would just dump (more) stuff in their neighbours' bins.

[temple5]

The City should really send out some Enmax mailer that lists exactly what can and cannot go into the blue bin.

Example, I have heard that single grocery bags just get disposed of. That they want you to collect all plastic and put it in one bag and tie it.

If that is the type of detail they need other than all plastics (other than foil, foam, and food products) and paper go into blue bin then they need to really send out that type of mailer.