urbania

Have you considered contacting your MLA to let them know how much you would like to have a recycling program in your community? You just might be surprised at how easy it is to get this going. And I bet you are not the only ones who want to be recycling.

I totally know your pain. I'm living in Toronto right now above some businesses, and the landlord has a private company collecting a dumpster out back. The City of Toronto waste collection will only take my recycling if my property was also getting trash collection. I am outside of the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Environment because our complex only has 4 units (they only worry about things with 6 units), so they can't force my landlord to give us recycling which costs him more. It breaks my heart to throw out metal cans. Bottles and paper I can do OK with, because Toronto has a megabin system - which would be cool, except that the bad design means no one really ever knows where to throw anything except "away."

 I think I make up for it by keeping and reusing every yogurt container and spaghetti sauce bottle I ever get. Oh, and I'm moving soon.

Challenge for you!!!

Here in Vancouver we can bring cans and wine bottles etc.,  to the bottle depot for a cash refund. They also accept newspaper and cardboard. I wonder if you have similar services in your area?

You don't have to let the fact that the city wont come to you stop you from recycling. If your grocery store won't deliver your food to you, you go get it right? It is all a matter of priorities. If it is truly important to you, you will find a way to make it happen.

I challenge you to take matters into your own hands and take charge of your own recycling program! Have you considered collecting your recyclables and delivering them yourself to the recycling depot nearest you? You could even ask your neighbors if they want to work as a team to take turns delivering the recycling.  

All that being said.....I have recycling that comes right to my door and I find that most things don't even make it to the truck on recycling morning. The entrepreneurial spirit of scavengers in my neighborhood is such that most of the goodies contained in my blue bin (except newspaper and spaghetti jars) are gone overnight. turns out they want the cash they can get for the contents of my blue bin, which is fine by me.