Everyone likes to talk about going green and helping the environment, but nobody likes to talk about what a pain it is sometimes.
Let’s face it – you’ve already got a lot of trash cans and bins around the house, and even if all you want to do is recycle old bottles and cans (maybe paper if you’re feeling adventurous) it can be a bit of a challenge to figure out where everything is going to go.
You need a place that’s easy to get to, separate from the normal garbage, and yet not too far out of the way that everyone in the house forgets to use it and just starts throwing their recyclables in the garbage. Easier said than done, right?
No need to fear! We’ve got some tips on how to fit a recycling bin into your home without a ton of hassle or reorganization so you can help the environment without having to totally destroy your kitchen:
Settle on a location. It’s a great place to start, and you’d be surprised with how much thought you might have to put into it. The thing to focus on is finding an area that’s easy to get to, conveniently located, and will help encourage everyone to get in the habit of recycling. This last thing is pretty key – all the recycling bins in the world aren’t going to do anyone any good if nobody remembers to use them!
Decide what you’re using to hold the recycling. Not every recycling bin has to be a bright orange bucket that you leave on the curb. Anything can be turned into a recycling container with a little inventiveness. Repurposed older trash cans can work so long as everyone knows the difference between the trash can and the recycling bin (which can be a pain at best and a gross mess at worst), or plastic storage bins (especially if they’re stackable) can be an inexpensive way to create a new recycling area in your house that’s easy to organize and keep things separated.
Divide by type. Not all recycling can get recycled the same way – food cans don’t need to go back to the supermarket with drink cans and bottles, and mixing newspapers into it is just going to make everything harder. Give yourself enough room and storage to keep everything separated to avoid a bigger mess later on, and to help get everything to the recycling center (or local grocery store) more easily.
Reorganize as needed. Even with as convenient as your new setup might be, you’re probably going to have to shuffle some things around. With some careful use of kitchen cabinet organizers you can try to make some room in the bottom of a pantry or under the sink to keep the bins out of the way (sort of like you might already do with trash cans), or you could try to devote some room on the back porch for them – but make sure it isn’t too far out of the way, or nobody is going to use it!
Make sure to keep it clean! Recycling isn’t usually as gross as regular garbage, but you still have to take care to keep gross smells and insects away. Make sure everything is rinsed out and cleaned before you put it in there (nobody needs half-full soda and beer cans spilling all over the newspapers), dispose of them on a regular schedule, and don’t be afraid to put some discrete air fresheners or boxes of baking soda around to keep the stink away.