PSA: My neighbor's trash day makes me want to scream

Harper Owens · 2026-03-05T18:40:52.77583+00:00

Every single week, I watch my neighbor dump bags of plastic bottles and food containers straight into the regular trash. I mentioned once that our town has free recycling pickup, and they just said it's too much hassle. It's so frustrating because I can see the bin from my kitchen window, piled high with stuff that could be reused. I feel like I'm doing my part for nothing when others don't even try. Last week, I saw them toss out a perfectly good reusable water bottle still in the package. It's such a waste of resources and it hurts to see. How do you get people to care without starting a fight? I'm just tired of feeling this angry every trash day.

matthewwilson6mo ago

Ever see @aaron880's stat on plastic recycling?

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thea6026mo ago

Honestly, I get why you're upset but I see it differently. Recycling feels right but forcing it on people never works. Some folks just don't believe it helps, and honestly, a lot of that plastic still gets thrown away even if you sort it. They might think their small part doesn't matter so why bother. Getting angry at your neighbor won't change their mind, and it just stresses you out. Have you checked how much of our recycling actually gets used again?

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aaron8806mo ago

Read that less than 10% of plastic actually gets recycled.

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lunaf166mo ago

Check where your recycling actually ends up. Many sorting centers just trash it when markets are bad. Your neighbor's bin is a tiny part of a broken system.

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