PP17: Talking rubbish

Now this one is a doddle. When I was in Canada I noticed that all public bins had little sections around them where you were supposed to deposit your used bottles and cans. Rather than throw them in with the rest of the ‘trash’ you could leave them there for the tramps to pick up – throw in their trolleys – and cart down to the nearest recycle centre to claim their 5C reward. For some reason it made paying the homeless to clear up your junk kind of cute. So long as you didn’t think about it too hard.

So it is with great sadness that in the UK I frequently see our public bins overflowing with plastic bottles, drink cans and newspapers. It drives me mad – why!? Why would anyone with a head on their shoulders throw these items in the bin? Why don’t they stash them in their bags and take them home for recycling like the precious items they are?

So while I don’t want to adopt the Canadian system of giving 5C for each bottle/can - or provide economic incentives for homeless people to become impromptu street cleaners – I do want to see a new ‘hybrid’ litterbin. Just divide the bin in two and have one half reserved for recyclable items. Sure some rascals won’t play by the rules – but who cares? We’ll live and the system won’t come crashing to its knees. At a stroke we could dramatically increase the quantity of items recycled in the UK and reduce the need for landfill. Not only that but by giving people the opportunity to ‘do the right thing’ (e.g. put something in the correct bin) we can further increase environmental awareness.

Easy.