In my day, we didn't have to worry about recycling, we were naturally green....

Milk came in glass bottles (to your doorstep) that were 'rinsed and returned'

Soft drinks/beer can in glass bottles that had a deposit charged on them - if you didn't take them back to the shop for the few coppers deposit someone else would!

Newspaper had 2 main recycling uses: Broadsheet was cut into 6 squares per page, Tabloid 4, a piece of string through a hole in the corner and that was the family's toilet paper for the week sorted, or

a sheet of paper folded diagonally then in 2" folds across, bent in half and 'woven' crosswise made the very best bricks for lighting the fire.

Old clothes (mostly natural fabrics in those days) either went to a jumble sale, to the rag and bone man for 1/6d a bag (or a goldfish or windmill depending on supply and demand), or were cut up and used as dusters, polishing cloths etc. It was a common sight to see windows being polished with a tatty pair of soft cotton underpants. Old towels has so many uses you couldn't list them all.

Meat from the butcher came wrapped in greaseproof paper, which was thrown away, and then 2 sheets of white cartridge paper which was cut up for drawing paper for the kids.

One gas copper of heated water, in a tin bath on the kitchen floor would wash an entire family. (and only happened once a week)

Modern recycling/green issues - PAH! don't know the meaning.....

I have to pay for two bins for my work site, one for recycling and one for general waste.

We only have a small office/warehouse, so don't really produce much waste, and only quarter fill each bin fortnightly.
My waste people wont change us to a monthly collection, so I only really put the bins out now and again.
Last week I had an email from my waste collector telling me that they would be checking the waste, and charging people a fine for putting general waste in with the recylcling, as we pay slightly less for the recycling bin.
I replyed to them, asking why if they are so concerned with not mixing general and recycling waste only one truck turns up, and empties both bins into the same hopper.
I didn't get a reply, strangley!

This then draws gushings of empathy, usually from Naga Munchetty. “Ooh I know; it is very confusing, isn’t it, Charlie?” Charlie then agrees that it is indeed very difficult to get one’s university-educated head around.

One thing really annoys me about recycling. EVERY TIME the BBC does a ‘piece’ about recycling, they inevitably canvass the views of a few members of the public - usually in Salford, but sometimes s bit further afield like Altrincham. Very soon one such idiot will say: “recycling is so confusing so we don’t bother. Every local council does it differently; they should all be forced to do it the same way. In Bolton they don’t take tetrapaks, in Whitby they take tetrapaks but not aerosols. Reading has a weekly collection of general waste but parts of London only do it fortnightly whereas Macclesfield only collects food waste on alternate Thursdays etc etc etc ad infinitum”. This then draws gushings of empathy, usually from Naga Munchetty. “Ooh I know; it is very confusing, isn’t it, Charlie?” Charlie then agrees that it is indeed very difficult to get one’s university-educated head around.

So the BBC perpetuates the myth that recycling is ‘complicated’ instead of pushing back on the commentator with “why do you give a fvck what other councils do? All you have to worry your little brain about is what YOUR council does and what they are asking you to do!”

Edited by YT (27 Jan 2019 10.28am)

In my day, we didn't have to worry about recycling, we were naturally green....

Milk came in glass bottles (to your doorstep) that were 'rinsed and returned'
re-using is better than recycling. And milk was delivered by one of the most successful electric vehicles to date. The milk float

Soft drinks/beer can in glass bottles that had a deposit charged on them - if you didn't take them back to the shop for the few coppers deposit someone else would!

Newspaper had 2 main recycling uses: Broadsheet was cut into 6 squares per page, Tabloid 4, a piece of string through a hole in the corner and that was the family's toilet paper for the week sorted, or

a sheet of paper folded diagonally then in 2" folds across, bent in half and 'woven' crosswise made the very best bricks for lighting the COAL fire.

Old clothes (mostly natural fabrics in those days) either went to a jumble sale, to the rag and bone man for 1/6d a bag (or a goldfish or windmill depending on supply and demand), or were cut up and used as dusters, polishing cloths etc.
Or in our house, really old clothes were cut into squares to use for patches to repair your better clothes

It was a common sight to see windows being polished with a tatty pair of soft cotton underpants. Old towels has so many uses you couldn't list them all.

Meat from the butcher came wrapped in greaseproof paper, which was thrown away, and then 2 sheets of white cartridge paper which was cut up for drawing paper for the kids.

One gas copper of heated water, in a tin bath on the kitchen floor would wash an entire family. (and only happened once a week)

My dad: used to tip the 3rd-hand bathwater onto the oak tree roots in our garden. He also dried used tea-bags to use again. I think the term is "tighter than a gnat's chuff"

Modern recycling/green issues - PAH! don't know the meaning.....