Green cart for compost goes live (was trial)

[mr2mike]

Also bottle recycle prices have been unchanged since at least the 80s.
I'm hoping one of the gov't bodies can raise those prices too, just to keep in line with the raise in minimum wage.

On topic: Haven't even put my green bin out yet. Keeping it minty for resale value.

[J-hop]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Weird because Manitoba has no such deposit system (only on beer cans and bottles) and the ditches are no different than here.

No one lives in Manitoba


Maybe one day we can remove the deposit but for now it’s good to build in that bottles aren’t trash.

From a psychology perspective it’s way harder for people to go from viewing something as trash to recycling it than it is for someone to go from viewing a bottle as being different from trash (having a monetary value in this case) to recycling it in a blue bin.

The fact that many on here either don’t understand the use of the green bins or are refusing to use them “on principle” is a prime example of this.

[rage2]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

You must be drinking a lot of take out coffees and such to have enough cup lids to affect your black bin so much. As for styrofoam, exactly how is your household generating so much?

It's not just the lids. Let me be a little more clear.

Prior to green bin, I would recycle everything that has the recycling symbol. We have a compost in the backyard for a couple years now, so we compost anything compostable. Everything else goes in the garbage. Shit was balanced nicely. Life was good.

When green bin came out this summer for us, black bin collection reduced to every 2 weeks, throwing the balance out of whack. We started filling green bin instead of our compost, and found it to fill up 10% at most weekly. Garbage started backing up. In an effort to recycle more, I started recycling things that didn't have the recycling symbol. Cardboard/plastic packaging, food packaging, etc. that didn't have the symbol. This created a small backlog with recycling and improved the backlog for garbage. Still creating backlogs, but with our summer travels, things were able to catch up. Summer over, we're back at the house full time, and backlog started happening again.

As for Styrofoam, this was never an issue over the summer. Food packaging (ie chicken) with foam containers were washed and thrown in recycling with no issues. These had the recycling symbols on them. The kicker was when I bought a TV 2 weeks ago, which contained a lot of Styrofoam packaging, again all with recycling symbols and filled the blue bin with it. This didn't get picked up, and a week without pickup caused my small backlog to become a massive backlog.

It's all a careful balancing act that I've had to do since garbage pickup reduced. The amount of food waste, paper towels, etc. for the green bin does not remotely come close to the reduction in garbage pickup. Does that make sense?

[jwslam]

Where are all your consumables coming from that you generate so much garbage?
Do you make sure each garbage bag is compressed before going into the black bin?

[rage2]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Where are all your consumables coming from that you generate so much garbage?
Do you make sure each garbage bag is compressed before going into the black bin?

If I had to guess, diapers are the biggest offenders. Honestly, this was never a problem for me until I started a family, so I can see how households with 2 or 3 people wouldn't have this problem.

I tried compressing earlier this week (for recycling) and broke the fucking bin. That's why I gave up and just loaded and hauled shit to the dump.



On the bright side, the broken bin has a little more volume now, so I'm reluctant to swap it.

[Seth1968]

^Admit it.

You shit kicked the thing

[rage2]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

^Admit it.

You shit kicked the thing

Nah, if I were to shit kick something, it'd be that fucking green bin taking up so much space. Just glad I don't live in the hood because I actually have space between houses to store this shit.

[nzwasp]

Do people store their green bin in their garage, for example I store mine on the side of my house and that's where my neighbor also stores his but looking around my neighborhood I don't see many people doing the same thing - i imagine in winter with it being so cold this wouldn't be much of an issue but in summer man that thing is going stink so bad.

One thing I do like about Edmonton' system that we don't have here is they have these drop off points all over the city where you can come and take your old crap that you dont want that wont fit in the bin's at lowes (im thinking the signal hill one). You can drop off your old appliances/old mattresses and beds. You can drop off any green waste for no fee - you can drop off knick knacks (sometimes they charge you) and you can drop off chemicals and paint and household chemicals for free. We have those services often for fees and at different places all over the city. Edmonton just centralizes it.

[rage2]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Do people store their green bin in their garage, for example I store mine on the side of my house and that's where my neighbor also stores his but looking around my neighborhood I don't see many people doing the same thing - i imagine in winter with it being so cold this wouldn't be much of an issue but in summer man that thing is going stink so bad.

Side of the house for me since day 1, it's far enough away from any usable areas of the yard so nobody is ever near it. We also bag our garbage tight so that it reduces the level of smell, but shitty diapers does seep through when I open the bins to add more garbage. Green bin? 0 smell for us, we use those compostable bags and wrap shit up tight.

There is no fucking way I'm keeping that shit in my garage and letting it stink. It's like parking my car at a fucking dump. No car guy should ever do that. Fuck that noise.

[Seth1968]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Side of the house for me since day 1, it's far enough away from any usable areas of the yard so nobody is ever near it. We also bag our garbage tight so that it reduces the level of smell, but shitty diapers does seep through when I open the bins to add more garbage. Green bin? 0 smell for us, we use those compostable bags and wrap shit up tight.

There is no fucking way I'm keeping that shit in my garage and letting it stink. It's like parking my car at a fucking dump. No car guy should ever do that. Fuck that noise.

Except, you willingly created the shit.

[Xtrema]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Do people store their green bin in their garage, for example I store mine on the side of my house and that's where my neighbor also stores his but looking around my neighborhood I don't see many people doing the same thing - i imagine in winter with it being so cold this wouldn't be much of an issue but in summer man that thing is going stink so bad.

One thing I do like about Edmonton' system that we don't have here is they have these drop off points all over the city where you can come and take your old crap that you dont want that wont fit in the bin's at lowes (im thinking the signal hill one). You can drop off your old appliances/old mattresses and beds. You can drop off any green waste for no fee - you can drop off knick knacks (sometimes they charge you) and you can drop off chemicals and paint and household chemicals for free. We have those services often for fees and at different places all over the city. Edmonton just centralizes it.

The dumps will take all chemicals and oils for free. Not sure about appliances and mattresses.

I keep all 3 bins outside. Don't want to stink up garage. Have a little hidden spot on the side of garage that can hide them easily. My messy neighbor on the other hand keep all 3 in front of his front door walkway. Ugly as fuck.

[Swank]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

I would recycle everything that has the recycling symbol.

Well that's a big issue right there. Those symbols in no way mean the recycling facility in Calgary will accept that item, they mean that if a facility accepts it then that number is the guideline on how to process the material. Did you know plastic lids smaller than a credit card are garbage? And so are non-stretchy plastic bags (i.e. cereal bags)?
http://www.calgary.ca/UEP/WRS/Pages/...ect=/recycling

[rage2]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

Well that's a big issue right there. Those symbols in no way mean the recycling facility in Calgary will accept that item, they mean that if a facility accepts it then that number is the guideline on how to process the material. Did you know plastic lids smaller than a credit card are garbage? And so are non-stretchy plastic bags (i.e. cereal bags)?
http://www.calgary.ca/UEP/WRS/Pages/...ect=/recycling

Yea, a system like that makes it not very user friendly for ignorant assholes like myself. I'll bet I'm not the only ignorant asshole out there. In an ideal world, you'd throw everything into 1 bin, and machines can sort it all out, from compost, to different types of recyclables, to garbage. Billion dollar idea right there.

[Gestalt]

The city fu ked me. I asked for another garbage bin because i made it clear i needed more garbage room since they slashed garbage pick up.

I go out today, and they brought an extra green bin and extra blue bin as well. 6 bins. Thats one less spot for a car.

Assholes. They better nit chage by the bin.

- - - Updated - - -

I think im going to put the green bins in the black bins, and see if they throw then away for me.

[88CRX]

This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote

The city fu ked me. I asked for another garbage bin because i made it clear i needed more garbage room since they slashed garbage pick up.

I go out today, and they brought an extra green bin and extra blue bin as well. 6 bins. Thats one less spot for a car.

Assholes. They better nit chage by the bin.

- - - Updated - - -

I think im going to put the green bins in the black bins, and see if they throw then away for me.

Hahahah, this is amazing!

[rage2]

And you wonder why our taxes are going up...

[speedog]

Fuck, you guys really are a bunch of old, grumpy men.

BTW, alleys ftw.

[ercchry]

In Ontario you pick your green bin size... and your fee is based on that... plus they are actually animal proof

I feel like if they gave us smaller bins people would still bitch when they mow their lawns... can’t win

I’m just happy my drivers dgaf... organics go in green, dry shit in blue... hybrid in black... fuck em

[rage2]

Merry Christmas. My garage is stacked up with garbage and recycling, and that’s with traveling a week in December. Green bins fees start Jan 1st, and yup, I can’t waste enough food to fill it more than 10% weekly. The city’s scheduling is retarded. I’m sure I’m not the only one with this problem over the holidays?

[ExtraSlow]

Nope you are the only one.