Where I live, they pick up my...

[Sibling Lambicus the Toluous]

This is just something I've been wondering about.  In my area, we get our compostables picked up along with our recycling, but I get the impression that this isn't too common.

What's the drill near you?

[goat starer]

rubbish and a separate paper bin.

recycling facilities at the local supermarket for plastic, glass, cans, clothes and shoes.

soon to have a doorstep collection of organic recyclables

[Aggie]

Calgary's trying to implement something to include all of the above but has been balking at the cost (I think biowaste was originally included, but it may have been scaled back).  Won't affect my current residence (apartment).  We only have a garbage bin, and all else must be hauled in to local depots.

Back in Vernon, my parents have curbside pickup of mixed recyclables (one bag for all) and trash.  They compost on their own.

[beagle]

Rubbish, box for papers, glass, tins, bag for garden rubbish.
Main problem is the replacement garden rubbish bags blow away (or get nicked) if you're out all day, and cost 50p ( about US$1 ) each at the local shop.
Keep meaning to get a garden shredder instead.

[Sibling Lambicus the Toluous]

Calgary's trying to implement something to include all of the above but has been balking at the cost (I think biowaste was originally included, but it may have been scaled back).  Won't affect my current residence (apartment).  We only have a garbage bin, and all else must be hauled in to local depots.

That kinda sucks.

I've lived in apartments myself, and I noticed that it's a lot more effort to recycle: if they have recycling at all, you have to haul your things down to the garage or outside, but often there's a garbage chute on every floor for the landfill-destined stuff.

Having to bring your recyclables to some other place must be a pain, especially for people who don't have cars.

[Kiyoodle the Gambrinous]

The recycling is still not very well organised in the Czech Republic. Basically, people throw away all the things in one can and that's all the waste company picks up.

They are some separate bins for glass, plastic etc, but they are rare and not much used.

[Griffin NoName]

Each house has a green box, supplied by the council, pick up once a week. Each block of up to 12 flats same. Blocks of flats over 16 have green wheelie bins.

Blocks of 13 to 15 flats don't apparently have anything recycle-able since no provision is made. This has long puzzled me. If anyone can explain it I'd be grateful.

We also have seperate huge bins in various locations for everything you can think of. Including ones for shoes. The bottle paper and tins ones are always full to overflowing.

The problem isn't collection. It's the fact that the actual recycling (process) is poor though you have to do a fair amount of research to find that out so most people in the neighbourhood have a real feel good factor.

[Bluenose]

All kerbside collection.

Our local council provides:
* 120 litre wheelie bin for rubbish, collected weekly.
* 240 litre wheelie bin for recyclables, collected fortnightly
* 120 or 240 litre wheelie bin (resident's choice of size, annual cost varies slightly) for garden waste collected on the alternate week to recyclables.

[Scriblerus the Philosophe]

Once a week pick up for all of it. Organic matter goes in a green bin, everything else in a gray one. Recyclables (paper, glass) picked up weekly as well, although there are places to turn them in behind stores and things.

[Sibling Chatty]

One bin for everything.

There's no recycling nearby.

The dump is open for 'big stuff' and does have a 'paper only' drop off place, but all they do with that is shred it to layer in with the other stuff.

Around here, there are enough people that grow vegetables that if you wanted to divide it out for them, someone would pick up the easily compostable stuff.

The city has recently stopped nagging one of the churches for having a drive-by aluminum can recycling drop box. The city claimed it smelled and drew flies, the pastor said it didn't. Considering that the pastor's teenaged sons go out every day (twice a day on weekends), spray down the box, crush the cans, rinse off the crushed cans and move them to a storage bin off the street from the drop box--no, it doesn't.

They gladly accept beer cans, even though the church is not real big on drinking to excess. (Not totally anti-alcohol, but very into responsibility issues.) The recycling center in Bryan pays them a premium, since the cans are crushed and clean. Their can recycling has paid for school shoes, school supplies and winter coats for poor kids for the last three years, with enough left over to provide some grants to various townspeople for job training courses at the community college in Brenham.

Folks here drink a lot of beer...BAD beer mostly, but beer.

[Bluenose]

Hey, the quality of the beer does not effect the quality of the aluminium in the cans!

I say good luck to that church, they are providing a valuable service all round.  Good to hear about.

Sibling Bluenose

[Opsa]

In Arlington Virginia USA where my mom lives, they have regular weekly trash pickup with county-provided black trashcans, plus yellow paper trash bins. Yard waste gets picked up from curbside every month or so, and made into mulch which can be picked up by residents for free. Nice service.

The small town where I now live is unincorporated and has no county-provided trash pickup. We do have a nearby mini-dump fascility with a compacter for household trash, and dumpsters for paper,glass, metal and wood recycling, plus a motor oil depository.

Yard waste has to be transported to the main dump, which is about 15 miles away. Not convenient. We compost and have a wood chipper to deal with most smaller yard waste. We can also burn yard waste after four pm, but try to avoid that, as it is not so good for the air quality.