apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

While I love the look of the Ecopod (especially the black/stainless one on the website), there's no way I can justify spending that much on recycling storage. Where I live, paper and plastic/glass are picked up on alternating weeks, and the Ecopod wouldn't hold two weeks worth of either for me.

I currently use 25 gallon lidded, stackable bins that I picked up at Ames, a discount store that isn't around anymore. There are very similar ones at Ikea, available in 16 and 25 gallon varieties. In my apartment, they fit in my kitchen next to the trash can, and in my new house they're next to the back door. Just chuck everything in during the week and then bag it up on recycling day - the easier it is, the more likely you are to do it!

We don't use a lot of bottles and cans (there'd be much less newspaper if the WSJ didn't require a print subscription to get the student rate for online access.. grrrr...), so recycling goes in a couple paper grocery bags kept in a closet until we have time to take it to a recycling center (no home pick-up for apartments here).

I have a bin about the size of one of those huge popcorn tins for general recycling. instead of having a bin for each type of item in the kitchen, i put it all in the one bin together and separate as I bag it into trader joe's bags to bring to the trash room. I find this is the ideal setup for New York apartment living, where we separate and take out as it accumulates, rather than having a particular day of the week.

The best way to minimize trash storage space is just to create less of it, in my opinion.

I can't see spending $300 for something like this, and I still don't have the floor space. I keep three trash cans under my kitchen sink: A medium-sized can for non-recyclable/non-compostable trash. An empty kitty litter bucket for non-glass recycling. A small trash can for glass recycling. Most of my cans don't "squish." Hands and feet work great for compacting the rest.

Usually I have to empty the recycling cans into my bin (which I keep outside a side door into my apartment) about twice a week. We have curbside recycling once a week in my neighborhood.

As I write this, I realize I also should add a fourth can for plastic tubs and other items that curbside won't touch but which I can recycle at Wild Oats.

Wendy -- regarding the WSJ, as an economics student a few years ago, I also was frustrated with the WSJ paper edition, so I called up and changed my address to that of a nearby nursing home. I had already contacted the nursing home and they were thrilled to take my paper copy...

At home we use "attractive" wire mesh waste bins for our paperboard/mail and set it next to our simple human waste can...all from Target. Under our sink we have a rubbermade waste bin for commingleds.

$324 to store the recycling???

the opoponax got it right: "The best way to minimize trash storage space is just to create less of it."