Average Czech produces annually about 150 – 200kg of waste:
22 % paper
13 % plastic
9 % glass
3 % hazardous waste
18 % bio waste
35 % other
If we just do not throw things thoughtlessly into waste basket, but are responsible and recycle, we can reduce the waste by one third – which in numbers means 30 kg of paper, 25 kg of plastic and 15 kg of glass.
My home town supports recycling. Our population is 100,000 and we citizens can regularly recycle paper (319 blue containers around the city), glass (207 green containers), PET bottles (389 yellow containers, but still not enough, always full) and drink cartons (234 red containers).
This year our municipality has started new recycling activity – household plastic recycling. We can collect a special yellow plastic bag in which we put all plastic waste – plastic bags, polystyrene, food jars and pots (yoghurt, butter…) and cosmetics and detergents bottles and containers.
I collected my bag today, it holds 120 litres of waste. I am starting my private plastic experiment today. I am an average citizen of my country and I wonder how long it will take me to fill it. 120litres seems a lot to me.
It is good to know that my household plastic waste will be transformed into rubbish bins, garden furniture, noise barriers (those we see by motorways) and even special bricks. Just doing something so simple like recycling I will help (in a way) to build a house. And people inside it will even walk on the carpets from my PET bottles!
Recycling is great as long as it actually recycles. In my hometown of Vilnius, Lithuania, some people say they won’t bother recycling anymore because they have seen big trucks coming in and collecting all the stuff from green, blue and yellow bins - all to the same truck! The system there obviously needs a rethinking.
I know that what Giedre says happens in Mexico too! But I am glad to tell you that there is a park where I go, near my hometown in Mexico -Metepec-, and some of the park benches and fences are made out of PET wastes! (and If you don’t know, you dont notice) I just love it!
Giedre, we had the same doubts here, but thanks to awareness campaigns this has changed. Actually, each year percentage of recycled waste increases in the Czech Republic. Needless to say, it took some time and patience.
Giedre - We had the same problem here. It was so disheartening to see all my work carefully separating the different kinds of plastics and washing tins out be for nothing. All my work ended up in landfill.