Recycling vs Garbage

[purnell]

My city has implemented a pretty successful recycling program. Every houshold is provided with three refuse containers that are collected weekly. One for garbage, which goes to the landfill, one for yard waste, which is composted and used by the city and given away to citizens who want to haul it, and one for recyclable materials. Paper, cardboard, aluminum, steel, and plastic all go together in the main bin, and there is a separate tray for glass that nests into the top of the bin.

As you might imagine, this costs a bit tax-wise, but we are told that the recycling program is cost-effective, in that the expense is recovered by reducing use of the landfill and selling the recyclables.