According to Wikipedia {the free encyclopedia} "recycling is the reprocessing of materials into new products.  Recycling generally prevents the waste of potentially useful materials, reduces the consumption of raw materials and reduces energy usage, and hence greenhouse gas emissions, compared to virgin production."  The recent discussion concerning global warming has focused primarily on alternative sources of fuel for the purpose of transportation.    However, another very important pro-environment tool is recycling.  The effort needs to involve more than the consumer and the government.  It needs to involve those who sell {and profit} from those products that can be recycled.  For example, the manufactures of bottles and cans along with the producers of what's sold inside them as well as the grocery stores that distribute them must take on a greater economic role in the process of recycling.  The voluntary "blue bag at the curb" approach is a good start but it relies primarily on the altruism of the consumer. 

The question is: does the consumer bear sole responsibility for what happens to a can or bottle that contains the product used?  or should some of that responsibility be borne by those who profit from its' use?  Are these responsibilities being borne already and are they equitable?  Some time ago bottlers would charge a five-cent "deposit" on a bottle to be "refunded" when the consumer returned the bottle.  It would seem that this concept could be reoperationalized for a whole host of products.  The consumer could clean the bottle or can, return it to the grocery story for a "refund" and the grocery store would return it to the producer then to the manufacturer etcetera each receiving a "refund" along the way.  When all parties involved have an economic incentive to participate, recycling will make a much larger contribution towards preserving the environment.

In short, yes, it is up to the consumer.  No matter what a manufacturer does or does not do, there will always be those people who don't/won't recycle.  There are still some states that charge a deposit on bottles/cans that is "refunded" when you return them.  Iowa is one of them but I never fail to see empty cans/bottles in the garbage whenever I go there.  A local company here in Illinois charges a deposit (about 80 cents) on the glass bottles it sells beverages in (1/2 gallon size) and I've even seen those in people's garbage.  On the manufacturer's side, I think there is some tax incentive for using recycled materials for packaging, but I could be mistaken about that.

I always recycle.  Sometimes I will even go out of my way just to recycle something I have and am nowhere near a recycle bin at the time

I'm a big fan of recycling and I follow it.  It is the "way to go" for conservation of resources.

Deposit schemes are OK, I guess, but I see plenty of "return deposit" cans and bottles thrown in the trash anyway.

Municipalities that have recycling trash programs should provide for issuing "trash tickets" to residents who refuse to recycle (use the provided blue bins at trash pickup).

When I bought my house, I asked the owner "where is the recycle container?" and he said that he never recycled, he did not  have the time.  What a pig.  What extra time can it take?  You throw the bottle or can into a different trash bin, that's all.

Pretty much everyone in Quebec recycles. All municipalities are set up for it, and most people do it as much as they can. There are also deposits on bottles and cans. It's common all over Canada, in fact, to see people going into their local beer vendor (in Quebec, it's the corner stores and groceries, in other provinces it's different) carrying their last case of empties with them, sometimes several cases at a time. It all adds up, and after all, you did pay the deposit in the first place so if you don't return them you're throwing money away.

The local university has almost no trash cans, but instead sets of three large bins placed all over the campus so people can sort and dispose of their plastics, glass, carton, and papers. And in the canteen there are bins for compostable food waste instead of garbage bins. I think the other campuses of the Université du Québec (of which there are like 7 across the province) are set up likewise, though I can't speak for other universities. I'm not sure if McGill, Concordia, Sherbrooke, Université de Montréal, Bishop's, or Laval are set up that way. And as for the universities in other provinces, I have no idea. 

Alot of convenience stores (such as Mac's / Couche-Tard) in Canada try to force recycling by requiring a 25c deposit on milk jugs if you buy a jug of milk.  I like this idea

Remember the old days when you could get return deposits on Coke Bottles?  Do stores still do this anymore?

I recycle whatever I can--bottles, cans, paper, newspaper, cardboard, etc. 

I do what I can, but we as a society have a long, long way to go!

We have inspectors in Verdun, Quebec (a borough in Montreal) that open up trash bags and will give you a $100 fine if you are caught putting recylclables in with the regular trash. I think it's a great idea.

We also pay deposits on all bottles at the store. 5c for small cans and plastic bottles. 10c for small beer bottles. 20c for 40oz beer bottles and cans.


Pretty much everyone in Quebec recycles. All municipalities are set up for it, and most people do it as much as they can. There are also deposits on bottles and cans. It's common all over Canada, in fact, to see people going into their local beer vendor (in Quebec, it's the corner stores and groceries, in other provinces it's different) carrying their last case of empties with them, sometimes several cases at a time. It all adds up, and after all, you did pay the deposit in the first place so if you don't return them you're throwing money away.


Reminds me of a buddy of mine. When he runs out of cash in between paychecks he brings back his empties to pay for his bread and milk. :)

Regardless of the system, ultimately, it's still the consumer who bears the responsibility for recycling.  Some states still require a deposit on cans/bottles (Iowa being one of them) but I still see recyclable materials in garbages everytime I travel.  I think there is some incentive for corporations to use recycled materials for packaging, but I could be mistaken about that.

I try to recycle as much as I can, but do inevitably end up throwing stuff out that could probably be recycled.  I don't think it's possible for someone to recycle 100% of what they can.....well, it probably is, but they'd be carrying a ton of crap with them wherever they went :D

We have inspectors in Verdun, Quebec (a borough in Montreal) that open up trash bags and will give you a $100 fine if you are caught putting recylclables in with the regular trash. I think it's a great idea.


http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/14/sign10.gif http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/14/sign10.gif
The Rubbish Police!

Somebody oughta sell that story to FOX News!

http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/14/sign10.gif http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/14/sign10.gif
The Rubbish Police!

Somebody oughta sell that story to FOX News!
They do this in New York also.  We must recycle everything:  bottles, cans, plastic, paper, etc.  We even have special days to pick up leaves in Autumn.  NY sanitation department will, at random, go through your trash and fine you if you haven't recycled.  The big joke here is that I happen to live on Staten Island which was a HUUGE landfill that can actually be seen from space.  Hey, I'm all for recycling and I do my part but as they say "the damage is done".

We pay the deposit tax on bottles as well in New York.  I don't bother to lug my bottles back for the refund and will just throw 'em in the appropriate recycle bag.  People then dig through my garbage pails so they can claim the refund.  ::)

http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/14/sign10.gif http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/14/sign10.gif
The Rubbish Police!

Somebody oughta sell that story to FOX News!


LOL. You can add it to a feature on our famous language police. There are, or at least there were, people working for the OQLF (French acronym for what translates as Quebec Bureau of the French Language) would write tickets and warnings to businesses whose signs were not in French only. Then the law was changed a bit and allowed for other languages as long as French was there as well and more prominent. These days they're a bit lighter on it for two reasons. One is that everyone pretty much has got the message... French is the language of signage ( in Quebec. Secondly, the OQLF usually relies on concerned members of the public to report violations of the language law.

Despite googling, I am unable to find a picture of Reece Witherspoon on a bicycle.  Sigh.

Despite googling, I am unable to find a picture of Reece Witherspoon on a bicycle.  Sigh.


*grrrroooooooaaaaans*!

I don't recycle as much as I should. Things like metal, motor oil, car batteries I do recycle, but plastic and aluminum not so much any more.  :-\\

Ant

Despite googling, I am unable to find a picture of Reece Witherspoon on a bicycle.  Sigh.


Oh...I just got that!  Ha ha ha!
:-\\

Alot of convenience stores (such as Mac's / Couche-Tard) in Canada try to force recycling by requiring a 25c deposit on milk jugs if you buy a jug of milk.  I like this idea

Remember the old days when you could get return deposits on Coke Bottles?  Do stores still do this anymore?
They are supposed to where I live ,but often managers come up with some cock-and_bull reason that they can't take "your'stuff,like because it's "too dirty","we're too busy",or "we don't have a place to take those".it bugs me because it's not really the store's money that they collect when people buy the stuff--it's the state's.makes me feel like telling alll the homeless about their having recycling there just to get even with them! >:(

I used to recycle bottles and cans and everything else in California because places could be found in every town. Not so much in Chicago. I don't see recycling bins around (like the garbage companies gave you in Cali if you were too lazy to go and recycle the stuff yourself) or even places to take the stuff. Same goes for Indiana. Chicago though....I don't really understand that. It's a big city with a ton of environmentalists and what have you, but no recycling facilities that I know of. The U of Chicago supposedly does that, but according to our environmentalist friend, they just toss it in the trash after you leave. Go figure. :P