Getting serious about recycling

We make too much trash, people.

The kitchen in our last apartment was tiny. Seriously tiny, just under 4′ x 8′. One of my garden beds was larger than the floor of my last kitchen. We had to move the garbage can back and forth to open the dishwasher or open the bottom cabinet with the tupperware bin. I pulled out trash to be recycled, gave it a good rinse, and put it on the floor next to the garbage can for the kids to take out at the same time as the trash, but my husband loathed this practice. We tried tying a bag to the pantry doorknob for recycling, carving out room for a paper bag under the sink, a paper grocery bag next to the trash can… nothing worked well enough to become a habit.

My new kitchen, on the other hand, is blissfully huge. There is plenty of room for garbage cans and recycle bins (and indoor worm composting bins, but that’s going to take some convincing) but I just can’t seem to get my husband and kids to care. I need to find a system that’s easy and neat.

Here are some ideas I’ve seen:

So, my green readers, how do you keep your recycling tidy?