Appreciation post: using a cheap whiteboard for my recycling system

I kept forgetting which bins went out on what day in my apartment complex, so I stuck a small whiteboard by the door and draw a quick calendar each Sunday. After 3 weeks of no missed pickups, I actually feel like I've got this waste thing under control. Anybody else use dumb low-tech tricks to keep their eco-habits on track?

3 comments

3 Comments

rose_reed1mo ago

Have you tried putting a small erasable checklist right on the whiteboard for what actually goes into each bin? Like a simple line that says "cans, bottles, paper" for recycling day and "food scraps, wrappers" for trash. I do that on my board and it saves me from standing there squinting at faded labels on the bins themselves. Really cuts down on those moments where you're second guessing if a yogurt cup is recyclable.

sean_cooper581mo ago

Building off the whiteboard idea, maybe a color-coded system with those cheap fridge magnets could work too. Pairing a green magnet with "recycling days" and red for "trash days" on the calendar might make it even faster to glance at.

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ray_martinez821mo ago

I read this article online about how color coding actually helps your brain process info faster... something about the visual cues bypassing the logical part of your brain. So @sean_cooper58 that fridge magnet idea might work even better than you think. The green for recycling and red for trash is smart because those colors are pretty much universal now. I'd probably add a blue one for yard waste if your city does that pickup too. That way you're not even really reading the calendar, you're just looking at the colors and it clicks.