Recycling in The Villages
 

Consumer Recycling. Since recycling is now history in TV I thought the following might help. Here's a link to what Publix will and will not take as well as HOW to prepare your items for recycling. Did you know you need to cut the 'zipper' off resealable bags? I didn't.

Customer Recycling | Publix Sustainability

With that said...Could someone please enlighten me as to where I might recycle aluminum and glass?

Let's start using re-usable bags, too not only @ grocery but everywhere we shop. And please quit buying bottled water. What a waste of $$ and resources. If you don't want to invest in a whole house filtration system, why not get a Brita or similar? I buy 3-5 gallon party containers @ Walmart and use them to store filtered water in refrigerator. They're handy for hurricane season, too.

So part of the internal question is to recycle so things may be repurposed or put everything in the garbage to provide energy generation. Also, if our primary recycle dump (China) has stopped taking stuff, and The Villages isn't the only community with the issue, what is Publix doing with the stuff.

Debate over bottled water aside, it does seem very odd that at a time when the entire world is consumed with worry over global heating, proper forest management, ocean pollution, fracking, off shore drilling, air quality, on and on and on, that the one thing we each CAN do, The Villages CAN do, and every town and city can do, is at least recycle as we have been doing. More world insanity, save our planet, and yet, the simple act of just separating organic materials, from paper, plastics, etc. we have decided to end. Why ? Because we have found an easier, and much more expensive, thing to do.... just put it all in bag or sack, any kind, any color, oh, do not put in medical waste, needles, paint, ........ so, no one would ever think of breaking that request right ? Will anyone throw in batteries anyway ? What happens when you burn batteries ? Does it make toxins in the air, or, maybe they will "clean" the air (which they say they have filters, cleaners, etc.) It all goes back to why is the "new" way the best. Why not go back to the old fashioned way of just throwing the paper, plastic, etc. in separate containers as we have for years. Could it be that recycling is not making as much money now, therefore, "saving" our planet, being "environmentally responsible" is not longer important unless, someone is making money ? Maybe just doing it "for the good of all humanity" might be a consideration ? Just sayin'.... how should any town, city, community make such decisions; based on money/profit, or, do somethings just make such good sense that it might have to be supported out of the same taxes that pay for road repairs, street lights, parking lot resurfacing, thousands of flower beds changed 2, 3, 4 times a year. All nice, all important, but maybe so is at least doing what we can to recycle ? Should fit in there somewhere on the "important" list I would think. As far as bottled water, I think there is no way to go back to none, but we can certainly cut down, WAY down. There will always be a need for those traveling to buy a bottle of water, many circumstances, traveling mothers mixing formula for a baby, just too many to mention. BUT...at home ? What's wrong with just drinking the water supplied here in the Villages ? Is it poisoned ? I just drink it out of my kitchen faucet, have for years ! Yes, I usually put ice in it, but the ice too comes from the same water. Is a Brita or whole house water system needed ? So is any part of our taxes paying for a water supply of clean water to drink ? Don't drink the water or buy bottled water, and then throw every kind of garbage in one container...LOL... you know people will get angry at ME (?) for saying this, but it's like wear a mask, no don't need a mask will not actually prevent you from getting the virus. Sit only outdoors to eat, no, sit indoors but ONLY 6 feet away, no, that's not right, actually the virus can get to as far as 12 feet away, so go back to eating outside. Don't go to the library, the virus lives on the books, but, apparently, it is not allowed to live on gas station pump handles (but I think it could personally....LOL). I don't mean this as "political talk", I truly do not, I just use some of these examples as so illogical. I really can't figure this out how people can demonstrate and scream and shout at street demonstrations, and I AM for freedom to demonstrate, yet the virus can not live in those moisture particles put into the air at demonstrations, but they can be dangerous at other events, maybe even sitting at the Brownwood square listening to music (if they ever have it again ?). I am not talking exclusively about the Villages in some of these references to water, garbage, and the demonstrations, just pointing out the world is getting very confusing and certainly more mixed messages than ever before. Certain things spread the virus, yet the same type of behavior or event does not in another setting ? I'm not on either "side" here, I just think there are a lot of things, including recycling, virus, riots, events inside and out, that is not making any sense ! What does make sense, is each one do what you can. As the person above commented, why take reusable shopping bags ONLY to the grocery store ? Why not to Beall's, Belk's, Walmart ? Not a major disruption to keep some in the car and golf cart. And, if you forget, you forget, they will always have bags, we know that because they have tired that all over the USA , charging $.05 for a bag, etc. and it just does not gain traction here. But we could do these small things ! We could recycle our garbage instead of the easy way out.... it's going to be a little more expensive according to the brochure we all got in the mail, but, hey, what's a little more money when its easier on us to throw all types of waste in whatever kind of bag we happen to have, I agree, it's much easier ! And, it's MUCH easier on our tax rate (they tell us) since there will no longer be so many trucks tearing up our streets and causing such high repair costs. Now, the next challenge ? Someone come up with a way to make people believe only one car at a time through the gates so we can cut down on those repairs too. Just think, like one half the garbage trucks, what if we only had one half the broken gates annually ?

Who is buying recycle materials?

You can sell aluminum cans at a recycling center (can’t remember the name) in Oxford. Go north on 301 and take the right just before the strip mall where Napolino’s is located.

Nice rant, but if everyone had been following the reasoning, the for change The Villages makes sense. Recycle processors in China were the main destination for the US’s recycling products. China quit taking product from the US or accepted the product and dumped it in the ocean. Because there was/is no market for recycling our recycling was ending up in a landfill. Not much good going on with that. Just more mountains of trash in central Florida or Georgia.

At least with the trash to energy program the volume is being greatly reduced and electricity is being generated. Is it perfect? No, but is a damn site better than our trash going directly into a land fill. I understand that this process can and will remove metal which will then be recycled.

Some churches are still accepting newspaper, magazines, and paper. Publix is still accepting Styrofoam and plastic bags. There are ways to continue to recycle. And as with other posters, look for way to reduce your usage.

The one thing I haven’t seen anyone suggesting is we return to the days of reusable milk jugs, beer bottles, soda bottles, etc. Why, it cost a lot more and no one is willing to pay the price!

Just realized we do not even use aluminum cans these days.

Much more glass bottles like wine bottles, jars of salad dressing etc.

Wonder who would take those.

Those are interesting questions too ? Isn't India also one of our primary garbage dumping place, maybe they are tied of it too ? I wonder if Publix does have a plan ? Many here work for them, maybe someone knows ? What does HD do with the batteries they collect ? Anyone know for sure ? When a community, or a city, does an only one time per year collection of old medicine, needles, paint, mercury alarms and light bulbs, etc. WHERE does all that go ? Does anyone think there are some people that just throw these kinds of things anywhere to get rid of them ?

So, with that tip in mind, is there any organization, say a VFW, or a church group, or a food pantry, etc. etc. that collects and sells aluminum to support projects, schools even ? Thinking if so, Villagers could drop off their small amounts to those groups who may be able to sell in volume ? What about glass ? Does the Methodist church behind the Publix on 466 still collect paper ?

Metal, both ferrous and non-ferrous, like aluminum, will be recycled in your regular trash pickup.

Metals Recycling - Covanta

the cloth reusable grocery bags that we have need to be washed between uses

I think that I'll switch to the net bags that the Europeans use...not sure how to find them yet, but I'll google and
find out

Good question.

You are right on. It is a travesty that there is no recycling. I am sick about that after doing so for many, many years.

Don't know about Methodist church but St Timothys on 27/441 takes newspaper, copy paper magazines, etc. No phone books but shredded office paper is OK.

Good info. Thanks.