On the 14th floor of the Tribune Tower there is a gray garbage can in the kitchen area. We throw away so much stuff in the kitchen that can be recycled. To help solve this, a few weeks ago I put a blue recycle bin next to the garbage can.
But nobody uses the recycle bin. It rather baffles me. Today I found a clean paper bag and paper wrappers in the garbage. Normally I will quietly garbage pick the paper and put it into recycling. But the quantity of the paper in the garbage today unsettled me. As i took the paper out I audibly said, “what is this paper doing in the garbage? It can be recycled,” hoping that the perpetrators heard me.
Knowing just saying something out loud probably won’t do much, I put a couple sticky notes on the garbage cans directing people to the blue recycle bin. Then to be even more specific, the sticky notes listed what little things can be recycled.
here’s what the notes said:
PLEASE RECYCLE
use the blue bin
——————>
tea wrappers,
papers, cardboard,
bags, sugar packets
every little bit helps 🙂
——————>
I purposely made the list in all lower case to make it more friendly. I know I’m being passive-aggressive with this. But c’mon people, at least put your paper in the recycle bin that sits right next to the garbage can. Every little bit truly does help.
too bad the recycle can can’t be as tall as the garbage can. It looks like the forgotten child next to the giant garbage can.
Yeah, I feel like that’s part of the problem, people have to aim to get something into the recycle bin. Those shorter bins are the ones we use at our desks. Which makes sense they are shorter, because when we sitting down, the can is closer to our reach. Maybe I should make a stool and prop up the recycle bin to be the same level as the garbage can.
Sometimes I really miss working in the Tower with you, but first the stinky lunches in the microwave and now THIS!? We have a big square box with holes in the top next to the trash can that is for recycling bottles (glass and plastic) and cans … and EVERYONE participates by doing their part.
We have a nice big blue bin for recycling cans. I believe people use that. I think it’s just a matter of getting people to realize you can recycle used sugar packets and opened tea packets.
comments from facebook: JiMi: maybe recycling bins should be yellow, brighter!
Are you sure it’s not a grey garbage can?