my recycling nightmare

since september, i've become one of the 1.6 million daily riders of the ttc. it's pretty convenient for getting around, especially when i can get from my place to school in about an hour.

but ttc advertising is a little strange sometimes. i'll admit that some of the posters gain my interest and i'll google the place/company/product/whatever and go on their advertised website if i remember once i'm near a computer (because SOME of us have a phone that calls and texts people, rather than to surf the interwebs). for instance, when i saw a poster for an MTax; mostly just for tyler and his tax business. or when i saw one for memorial university in newfoundland as a couple of programs were extremely relevant to my undergrad. or even, fuck, subway subs of the day. 

yes, ttc advertising works. but i don't enjoy this month's ttc advertisements. the idea is to make the ttc "litter free" and depicts various litter items, such as newspapers and coffee cups on the seats of the train or on the platform floors, saying "i don't belong here" or "put me where i belong" or something along those lines. at the bottom of the advertisement, the 3 standard ttc recycling stations are pictured and it says to "put litter in its place" or again -- something along those lines. my outrage over this matter makes my memory fuzzy when it comes to the actual wording on the advertisement.

this isn't the actual advertisement, but still pretty neat.

as i was preparing to run a sustainability workshop this week for university of toronto clubs executives, it became extremely clear to me that we're basically in a crisis when it comes to effective and appropriate recycling strategies. not that many people actually know HOW to recycle without compromising a bin. the city of toronto website offers a great deal of information on the subject AND even has a waste wizard that allows you to figure out what items go where if they aren't listed.

my concerns aren't really over the fact that people don't know how to recycle a newspaper. those handy metros and onions and whatever else is there to keep you sane during a commute belong in one bin; the one labelled with the pictures and words of newspapers. and even still, i see many commuters putting them in the garbage. whyyyyyyyyyy?! why does this happen?! it takes the same amount of time to recycle wrong as it does to recycle right! 

all recycling varies by regions and municipalities, sometimes even city to city, or town to town. it's important to be informed about what your area recycles and what it doesn't. being a recycling station monitor at greenbuild in october 2011 definitely helped me understand toronto's insane recycling policies. which is also why the ttc advertising frustrates me. how many of you actually know how to recycle your takeout coffee cups? tim hortons roll up the rim cups, mcdonalds, and starbucks coffee cups plague the city and the subway. the majority of my friends don't have a clue how to recycle their coffee cups. so if they don't know how, there's a good chance that everyone who isn't me doesn't know either. 

here's the breakdown (taken word for word from my sustainability workshop powerpoint):

Standard 3 category (Paper, Plastics, Garbage) recycling station:

Sleeves and cups go in PAPER
Lids, stirrers, teabags, etc go in the GARBAGE

When an “Organics" bin is included:
Sleeves and cups go in PAPER
Stirrers, teabags, etc go in ORGANICS
Lids go in the GARBAGE

When a “Coffee Cup/Coffee Miscellaneous" bin is included:
Sleeves go in PAPER
Lids go in GARBAGE
Coffee cups, teabags, stirrers, etc can all usually go in the COFFEE CUP/COFFEE MISCELLANEOUS

see, it's more difficult than you expected! that's exactly why i can't stand the takeout coffee cup "i don't belong here" ttc poster advertisement. the city should make their advertising more effective by showing commuters where each item of the coffee cup goes in the recycling bin process. then there would be even less compromise in ttc bins.... i hope! 

perhaps i'll even write a letter (email?) to the ttc and express my rage in their advertising campaign. i just hope i'm not the only one making a big deal about this.