This morning, I was on a large college campus in what is considered a pretty liberal/progressive city (University of Texas in Austin). It was hot, and we were doing a lot of walking, and I had a bottle of water. We must have passed at least 12 trash cans, and I never once saw a recycling bin. Ended up throwing it in the trash because there were no other options. It shouldn't be that way. There should be recycling bins right next to trash cans, especially on a huge college campus in a warm climate. You know half the people walking there are kids drinking bottles or cans of soda, Gatorade, energy drinks, or water. Really surprised me, and I thought of this board.

Recylcled items are usually made into more of the same item. So plastic soda bottles are made into new plastic bottles. The EU now has recycling rates of about 50%. If the whole world had just a 50% rate, that would be huge. I think what the OP was most troubled by is people who put something recyclable, like a can or bottle, in the regular trash when there is a recycling bun literally right next to it. That bothers me to. Like I get not going out of your way to recycle, but why would you actively try to NOT recycle?

That's my point about not being able to make people recycle. It is a good idea, it's just impossible to force people to do it, it seems. Or to stop producing so much plastic to begin with. With all the recycling that does happen, where does it go? We still make more and more new items that can be recycled, but into what? What are things being recycled into?

OP here. I'm not trying to "force" people to recycle; I'm trying to get them to and make it easier. Some people don't recycle because they don't care. Others don't bother because they "don't think it's working" and others are just lazy. We're huge recyclers in our house (washing out bottles, breaking down boxes) but sometimes I'll catch someone throwing a plastic bottle in the trash when they're on the run because it's faster than opening a door and pulling out the recycling bin. At work, everyone's busy and it's easier to throw something in the little can in front of their face. As someone who's concerned about the planet, yes I DO have to move it, and will continue to do so. My personal take on life is to make things right, even if it inconveniences me.

I think the problem is the recycling that isn't happening. If you aren't recycling, you are the problem. Hope you're fine with the planet being destroyed.

With all of the recycling that is happening, I really don't see things getting any better. I don't think it's working.

Not sure why someone would try to force people to recycle? It's because we want for our children to inherit an earth that is habitable. A dead whale washed up in Thailand recently. It died because it had ingested seventeen pounds of plastic, including 80 plastic bags. We need to do things differently. Yeah, some people choose to try and fix things. Some people are going to pick your Coke can out of the trash and recycle it. Why? The human race is going to cease to exist because people are fricking morons, that's why. Jesus.

Actually you don't have to pick it out and move it, you choose to. You can't force people to recycle. Not sure why you are trying to.

I have a coworker that every time she sneezes she tries to hold it in. It always sounds like a huge fart.

This is so irritating. They redid the kitchen at work. Now the large, 55-gal trash can is in a compartment behind two doors with a slot, kind of like what they have at fast food places. There were no recycling cans until a couple of us raised a stink, so they finally got one. It's the size of a small wastebasket, sitting next to the compartment, but it's a bonafide recycling can, blue with the symbol. Idiots were still throwing regular trash in it. So one day I made a big sign, with TRASH and RECYCLING in huge letters and with big arrows, highlighted in orange, pointing to the respective cans. And every day, every single time I go into the kitchen, I have to pick trash out of the recycling can and throw it away. WTF!!!