My first-ever recycling consultation

My neighbor Shannon wanted help figuring out what she could and couldn't recycle, so she invited me over to look at her situation. Beforehand, she told me she didn't have a lot of room in her kitchen (where all the action happens) for bins and such, so I was prepared to be creative. Turns out she had some great space, so we got her all set up. The consultation was a lot of fun, she asked really great questions to move the discussion beyond just recycling ("Doesn't food break down in a landfill?"), and her kids, especially her son, were awesome participants.

The Three Cuties with their new recycling bins!


Bins for plastic bottles and glass bottles in an under-utilized cabinet. Using the buckets over and over (city crews empty them into the recycling truck and then leave them) instead of paper bags (which only get used once or twice before they're recycled) cuts down on the number of bags that are consumed.

Shannon wanted something decent-looking for this nook, and she whipped out this cool-looking retro tin from out of nowhere, and it fit perfectly. This will hold mixed paper.


I'm going to see if Shannon will let me swap out this paper bag for another bucket, so we can save more paper bags.


Their garbage area. The paper bag on the left is their Nancy bag. Several of my neighbors and friends have Nancy Lo bags, it turns out. Pretty funny!


Shannon is super-creative at taking found objects and upcycling them into useful pieces. She found these frames and strung chicken wire to create a place for the kids' artwork.