It's interesting how people can rely on their neighbours to remember what week it is.

Last evening, one put out her blue bin. The neighbour opposite followed suit.

The rest of us put out the trash, which was collected this morning. The blue bins are still there, intact.

I remember holding (school) milk bottle tops in a sort of fingers crossed style and spinning them. Sometimes they soared skywards.

And wrapping coins in them and 'tracing' so the image of the coin came through.

And turning them into rings

I don't remember collecting them for school but I do remember them bagged so maybe that was the reason.

I finally noticed just a couple of months ago, and made a mental note, that recycling is collected in the weeks when I am not paid.

You got a wheelchair for them didn't you? Or was it a guide dog?

I was about to throw out a bubble-wrap envelope earlier.

Envelopes go in the blue bag. Bubble-wrap goes in the clear bag.

Paper goes in blue. Candy wrappers in clear. But some candies are double wrapped with an inner layer that comes into contact with the candy while the paper outer layer does not. Paper bags also go in blue. That they may have come into contact with more food (and thus be contaminated - the whole point of the revamp) than a candy wrapper doesn't seem important.

While I successfully recycle the majority of our garbage I have always struggled with bubblewrap-lined envelopes and they are bonded together too securely to be able to separate them into paper and plastic, or even paper and trash, or trash and plastic. Reluctantly, I put them in the trash.

How about popping all the bubbles - which is great fun anyway - and then ironing it all flat so it looks like an ordinary envelope.

All of us keep bumping into the pesky third bin.

Hard plastic in Blue. Containers, bottles etc.

Sounds easy, right? Except not plastic number 6 which goes in (everything else) clear bag. But plastic number 6 items look and feel just like a bunch of other plastics.

So now we're having to look at them for the numbers.

In the US (some) recycling facilities now use lasers to automatically sort all recyclable hard plastics. #6 (polystyrene) is unrecyclable, but the lasers will kick it out anyway.

You know that brain training old people are supposed to do? Just think of this as a free version!?

Always good to be able to find a bright spot.

The footie was on later today, what with the UK clocks going back at the weekend and not here until the coming weekend. To make supper easier we bought one of Walmart's cooked chickens.
(no this isn't the 'Tea-time' thread )



The container is hard plastic. But the base is a number 5 which goes in Blue bag. The top is a number 6 that goes in Clear bag.

I hope that after all this additional recycling stress your team got a result?

Well obviously they got a result, but was it the right result?

I cheer on all the English league teams in European competitions - even Manchester City who I'm normally enthusiastically indifferent about

They and Arsenal both won. Yay

And Bristol Rovers won too

I got asked to try out for Bristol Rovers Womens team back in the day, after playing in a charity match against Bristol Rovers men's team, lol. Fun times.