No Waste Here

We're rabid recyclers in our house. We routinely fill three for four bins with every possible piece of plastic, paper and cardboard.

I do my best to sort, but I'd be lying if I told you I never mixed my recyclables.

There, I said it. Phew, I feel better.

So the word that I can now toss all my non-trash items into a single bin just makes me feel whole again. I once again can be a (semi) functional and law-abiding member of society.

Since I'm being open and honest here, I do have to wonder. How is this possible? What happens after the guys in the truck toss my mix of cans, plastics and newspapers into a single truck? Is it sorted later on?

The cynic in me says we'll someday learn an ugly truth about mixed use recycling. Just as Homer Simpson learned that Duff, Duff Light and Lady Duff all came from the same beer vat, we will someday discover that our recycling has gone unmixed, unsorted and worse unused.

But for now, who cares? It's damn convenient. Woo Hoo!

Now, I have two questions. Are our old recycling bins recyclable? And will the new ones be made from recycled material?