Having lived in Germany (where virtually all your rubbish is separated at home and collected separately) and France (where virtually all your rubbish is simply thrown out), I was heartened to see that we have a recycling box, although I admit that I was a little sceptical when I realised that everything - from cardboard and paper to plastics and glass - was lumped together.
I was therefore particularly pleased to discover recently - having put them into the recycling bin for the past 3 months - that there is a 10-cent deposit on all fizzy-drink cans and bottles. Given my avid consumption of the aforementioned beverages, my shopping bag (yes I have one - it's even made of cotton) is now almost as full when I go to the supermarket as when I return.
However, as I heard on the radio this morning, there is an unfortunate downside to all this environmentally-friendly recollection of cans and bottles: because the deposit is only 5 cents in neighbouring states, Michigan loses an estimated $10 million a year because of people "exporting" their empties from another state.
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