help me weigh this out

[bhawkins]

So, I really want to recycle more stuff. However, I live in a small town with almost no recycling capabilites. Our convenience center takes cardboard and aluminum cans for recycling. That's it! In order to recycle plastic and mixed paper I would have to go to the next large city about 30min away.

So my question is: does it make sense to take up so much extra space in my garage saving the recyclables for the next trip, then drive 30 miles to take them? Or should I just recycle what I can nearby and leave it at that? My DH says with gas so high I'm using up more resources than I'm saving.

[TinyBabyBean]

is there anything you would need to go to that city for anyhow? i know paper really piles up here so that would be alot to store maybe for you.

what about finding someone local who wants to recycle also. maybe you can trade off on who takes the stuff. or perhaps they already might need to go to that city for something anyhow and it will be on there way.

[Ruthla]

Hmmm. First things first, I'd focus on the "reduce and reuse" part of the equation. See how much you can avoid buying new things in plastic, and then re-use many of those items that you do manage to obtain.

Could you recycle the paper yourself? Make it into new notepaper that you use in your own household? I wouldn't attempt to recycle plastic at home- that could create toxic fumes!

If it were me, I'd probably do less recycling and save the gas. But I would try and get the town to start a townwide recycling program.

[snozzberry]

Originally Posted by TinyBabyBean

what about finding someone local who wants to recycle also. maybe you can trade off on who takes the stuff. or perhaps they already might need to go to that city for something anyhow and it will be on there way.

Originally Posted by Ruthla

But I would try and get the town to start a townwide recycling program.

If it were me, I'd do one of these things. Probably try and find a friend or two to agree to trade off going, then ponder trying to start an official program.

The point about the gas you're using vs the resources you're saving: It's not just about saving resources but also about saving landfill space. Even if something is in theory biodegradable, things so rarely biodegrade in landfills because they're so packed.

Good luck!

[berkeleyp]

What about agitating for a better recycling program or even just contacting your local trash pick-up company and complaining. I would at a minimum contact your state legislators and see if there are any organizations working on improving recycling in your area.