Recycling in the Big City

Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area in the 80’s and 90’s, I remember seeing the evolution of the recycling movement very well. In the 80’s, no curbside recycling was offered, but recycling centers were found around town where you could bring the aluminum cans you foraged from garbage cans after your little league ball game.

Towards the late 80’s / early 90’s, everyone received their big blue recycling bin that had a separator inside where you would put plastic, paper, and cardboard on one side and glass and aluminum on the other. Then came the next big bin for green waste. The largest of all, the green bin was where you placed all of your plant clippings and cut grass, where it would be hauled off and used for city composting.

Eventually, the trash bin that was provided was the smallest at around 30 gallons. So much was being sorted and separated at home that there was very little to actually hit the landfill. If you were really savvy you could request a false bottom be put in your trash bin only allowing roughly 15 gallons of trash to be placed inside and as a result you would be sent a lower waste removal bill.

This process became second nature for us. It felt good knowing that most of what we were using could be reused again. It was mind blowing to open that trash bin and see such a small space available for trash and yet know that it was enough. And yet in cities like Albuquerque, we are having to supplement our recycling commitment through tax dollars because people are simply choosing not to embrace the process.

Having been out of the “big city” for 15 years now, I wanted to see what latest and greatest recycling advances had been and what we as New Mexicans were missing out on. Here is some of what I found:

San Francisco, CA – In 2007, “The City” imposed a ban on plastic shopping bags, the first of it’s type in the nation.

Portland, OR – Portlandians are able to divert 74 percent of their waste to recycling facilities despite the fact that there are over 40 private companies who offer curbside recycling service. The key? A community who is passionate about the cause. They are willing to do the research, pay the money and do the work to keep the items out of the landfill.

Austin, TX – This city recently introduced curbside composting for all residents. Compostable items include egg shells, hair, fruit and vegetable peels and shredded paper.

Chicago, IL – The “Windy City” is a creative leader when it comes to green perspective. The “Green Roof Program” is an initiative that encourages residents and businesses to covert their rooftops into green spaces and gardens.

Los Angeles, CA – In 2015, “La La Land” took the plastic shopping bag one step further by charging customers 10 cents per paper bag that they took home.

Recycling is a gradual process. You start by introducing it into the culture and when it become second nature you can introduce the next step and then the next. But without educating the population there will never be a need. Knowing why recycling important is key to growing the movement!