Bringing Home Restaurant Containers for Recycling

[cheriede]

When we go inside at a fast food restaurant and eat, I have started going through all the containers too see what I could bring home and throw in our recycle bin. I'm not really sure why I do it, but I guess I'm just in the mindset of recycling and it doesn't end when I leave the house. I'm curious if anyone else does this?

After our visit to Chick-Fil-a today and toting all my conatiners home to recycle, I've had lots of question running through my mind. I wonder why more restaurants don't offer recycling bins at their restaurants. Can it be that much more work?? It just seem that there is so much stuff that is thrown away at these places that coule be recycled. Wouldn't it be refreshing to see more restaurants step up to the plate and do their part?

[frugalandsimple]

I believe it needs to be manadatory for businesses to recycle. The company I work for throws so much paper away on a daily basis and none of it gets recycled.

[Libby]

I think it may be the fact that the uncooperative customers just toss everything into one bin - regardless if it is garabage or recyclable items.

Id love to see them set up a recycling system for their food containers. So far the fast food chains here only have recycling for newspapers and glass/can drink containers.

[The Muse]

I don't eat fast food, but I do bring any recycleable parts of my lunch containers home from work (soup cans, condiment bottles, etc.)

I think the problem with fast food places offering recycling is that some people don't care and wouldn't take the time to seperate their items.

[DonnainME]

I agree that restaurants should be required to recycle.

[mira]

I think think this is a GREAT idea but part of the problem is also that people might not be sufficiently aware of what items get recycled or might consider themselves "too busy" to separate.

[MamaPyratekk]

Ha, I do this same thing! I even take walks with my son and end up picking little things off the road that I can recycle when I get home. My husband thought I was crazy when I started taking the papers out of his packs of gum that were finished (you know, the little white pieces of paper that each stick of gum is nestled in before you pull it out) and threw them in the recycling bin. It's just habit now.

And I completely agree about the recycling, however if restaurants did this they'd definitely have to have someone to sort through things before sending it out...you wouldn't believe how many times I've seen people at the grocer throw trash into a huge bin very legibly marked "RECYCLING FOR PLASTIC BAGS"

[mira]

And for a completely different type of restaurant recycling what about bringing our own take home containers? I've thought about doing this but wonder if it's too odd and also trying to figure out the best way to bring it in since I have a small purse. Any suggestions?