Annoyed
In Halifax we are asked to separate our garbage, recyclable, compost and cardboard. In the parking lot of my building we have 4 separate bins, one for each of the above catagories. In addition to having to separate our waste, there are different colour bags for garbage (white or black, although there is a petition to require clear bags) and blue for recyclables. For the most part people are good about the system. I like that we have it in place, I like to believe that we are reducing the amount of stuff that goes to the landfill and I love that our compostable material gets turned into compost and re-used on city property.
The bins serve two apartment buildings and I imagine that there are about 80 units between the two buildings. Sadly early on I noticed there were two issues with the set up. The first is that some people obviously don’t care and throw whatever into all of the bins, so often there is garbage in the compost bin or recyclables in the garbage. I believe this results in the whole lot going to the landfill. The second is that the recyclables bin is small, and holds about 1 ½ bluebags, not nearly sufficient for all the residents.
To ensure my food scraps become compost, I made arrangements to take them over to the appropriate bin at a friends house. They live about a block away so it’s not too much of a hassle and it makes me feel better. At first I walked my recyclables over as well, but that was more awkward, and after awhile I stopped doing so. Instead I tried to put my recyclables out the night before or the morning that they were going to be collected. Sometimes that meant that I had to put my bag beside the bin, but I figured it wouldn’t be for long and it seemed to be working.
On Friday, I was taking my blue bag out and just as I was leaving the parking lot, two guys drove up in a truck, and took the recycling bin, and the compost bin and dumped it into the garbage bin. I asked what they were doing and they said the owners had told them to do this even though they knew they weren’t suppose to! I was a bit shocked and didn’t say anything else, but I’m not sure what I should have done.
The person I was with suggested that it would get sorted at the landfill and maybe that is true, but that just adds to the cost, and I’m not sure if that can be done mechanically, and if it is can’t, what an awful job!
I am so disappointed and annoyed, I feel like my efforts to wash and separate are totally undermined by the attitude of the owners. I also think that it’s small annoyances like this that make people want to live in independent homes and undermines attempts at high density living.
The bins serve two apartment buildings and I imagine that there are about 80 units between the two buildings. Sadly early on I noticed there were two issues with the set up. The first is that some people obviously don’t care and throw whatever into all of the bins, so often there is garbage in the compost bin or recyclables in the garbage. I believe this results in the whole lot going to the landfill. The second is that the recyclables bin is small, and holds about 1 ½ bluebags, not nearly sufficient for all the residents.
To ensure my food scraps become compost, I made arrangements to take them over to the appropriate bin at a friends house. They live about a block away so it’s not too much of a hassle and it makes me feel better. At first I walked my recyclables over as well, but that was more awkward, and after awhile I stopped doing so. Instead I tried to put my recyclables out the night before or the morning that they were going to be collected. Sometimes that meant that I had to put my bag beside the bin, but I figured it wouldn’t be for long and it seemed to be working.
On Friday, I was taking my blue bag out and just as I was leaving the parking lot, two guys drove up in a truck, and took the recycling bin, and the compost bin and dumped it into the garbage bin. I asked what they were doing and they said the owners had told them to do this even though they knew they weren’t suppose to! I was a bit shocked and didn’t say anything else, but I’m not sure what I should have done.
The person I was with suggested that it would get sorted at the landfill and maybe that is true, but that just adds to the cost, and I’m not sure if that can be done mechanically, and if it is can’t, what an awful job!
I am so disappointed and annoyed, I feel like my efforts to wash and separate are totally undermined by the attitude of the owners. I also think that it’s small annoyances like this that make people want to live in independent homes and undermines attempts at high density living.