Sorcha's point is a valid one. Even though most US people live in urban areas, a great many of us live elsewhere.

Here in Juneau, we do some recycling but not nearly to the extent that southern California does, and the reason is that it costs too much to barge the recyclables to an urban point where they can be processed. Juneau does some laudable things. Our recycled glass (and as was pointed out above, we soak off the labels and wash out the interiors) we take to a recycling center where it is crushed. Some of it is utilized in sub-layer street construction. The Lions Club accepts newspaper and alumin(i)um at collection points. SAGA, a youth group, for $12 a month picks up bottles at your door.

But it isn't easy or cheap to do the 'right' thing. Even our cars here- when we want to dispose of an old wreck- cost us $150 to do so, and that's after emptying the gas tank and the crankcase and taking off the tires ourselves or paying more to have someone else do it. Dropping off tires at the landfill cost $5.00 each. Disposing of a refrigerator in a landfill costs about $75 ($30 to have the refrigerant removed, $30 to dispose of the refrigerant and 7 cents a pound at the landfill). Old kitchen ranges are a bargain- only $10.

The main reason I have these figures, by the way, is that I take care of rentals.

Like Sorcha, I choose to live in this kind of situation and it's worth it to me. Offshore islands have it even worse- they have almost no access to recycling.

In my own case, I sold my car when I arrived here 13 years ago, using shanks mare, taxis and buses and friends as needed, buy non-packaged items when I can-bubble encased packaging is the bane of my life- keep the heat low and unused lights off.

Southeast Alaska has never had oil or natural gas but we have lots of water for hydropower, with diesel backup for when bald eagles short circuit our system.

I guess my point is that any country is made up of individuals with lots of variables. Southern California where my daughter lives, by the way, has a workable recycling system. It costs you more for garbage pickup if you don't recycle, which is probably the way to go.

It's easy to point fingers but answers aren't easy.

Ebbie