the.com/recycling bin
A second chance with a lid, where trash auditions for its next life.
means A container, often marked or color-coded, where you place paper, plastic, glass, and metal so they can be collected and reprocessed into new products instead of going to landfill.
from A transparent compound of two old workhorses. 'Recycle' was built in the 20th century from the prefix 're-' ('again') plus 'cycle,' which traces back through Latin 'cyclus' to Greek 'kyklos,' a 'circle' or 'wheel' — the very shape of a thing that comes back around. 'Bin' is far older and homelier: an Old English word 'binn' for a manger or crib, possibly drawn from a Celtic root for a basket or hollow container. The two words only married once mass recycling programs spread in the late 20th century, giving the humble feed-trough a green new vocation.
- Wishcycling
- Tossing non-recyclables in hope contaminates entire batches
- Color code
- Blue for recycling is an unofficial global default
- Aluminum loop
- A can can return to shelves within 60 days
- Greasy pizza
- Oily cardboard ruins the paper recycling stream
- Born 1980s
- Curbside bins spread widely only decades ago
blue bin programs — curbside recycling collection in over 10,000 north american municipalities since the 1980s
yellow bin sorting — german dsd system (der grüne punkt) managing packaging waste since 1991
green bin composting — toronto organic waste program processing 200,000 tonnes annually since 2002