$6 Virtue

Thursday is my day to feel a little virtuous. It's recycling day in my neighborhood.

In Austin, you pay your monthly waste services fee based on the size of your trash bin. A 30 gallon bin is $4.75/month. A 60 gallon bin is $7.50/month. We use the smaller bin. Not only does it save us $33/year, but it encourages us to produce less waste.

One of the ways we reduce our garbage is by diverting waste from the trash bin to recycling. We usually get it down enough so that the smaller bin is fine. On the months we go over, we have to buy a $2 sticker for the additional trash bags, but there hasn't been one of those in a long time.

Earlier this year, I bought a blue recycling wastebasket from the office supply store for $6. I can't say that's what keeps us within our 30 gallon limit, but it does help.

Here is the best part of all: it makes paper recycling so easy. Unlike the ugly recycling containers the city provides, this is something you'd be glad to keep next to your desk. Then on trash day, there isn't any bagging or bundling; just carry the blue wastebasket out to the curb. The solid waste people are glad to unload it as is.

I recycle more thanks to the increased convenience. Before, I primarily recycled just old newspapers. Now, every page and scrap of (recyclable) paper goes into the blue bin. We probably divert an additional 3-5 gallons of refuse a week in this way.

I've looked around the neighborhood on trash day, and I've been surprised nobody else has discovered this trick. It's a good six dollar investment. You'll recycle more, recycle easier, and help keep your trash bills down.