Windows and recycling. NOT stupid Microsoft Windows like I was ranting about last time, real glass windows. Woohoo!
They say you’re getting old when you get excited about this kind of stuff…. but seriously, this is exciting stuff!
We built our house almost 15 years ago and we’re getting to the point where it’s not a “new house” anymore. Things need replacing, and repairing. We’ve had some crappy windows for years now, but it was finally time to take care of the situation. Our kid’s windows were super drafty because the window frames were warped and that caused a bunch of ice and yucky stuff to be on them.
After months and months of researching, getting quotes and deliberating, we finally got 9 windows in our house replaced. So super exciting!! Windows that seal properly; that’s what I’m talking about!
We spent a few days without blinds. Free show for neighbors! haha
The other REALLY exciting thing happening around our house is an upgrade to our recycling system. We’ve always had containers for recycling – paper, metal, glass and plastics – but we had to separate everything. We also had to take it to the recycling center, about a mile away. [Side note: why do they ask you to separate it when they just dump it all into the same recycling truck??] Not a big deal, but my biggest gripe was the fact that the recycling bins only accepted #1 and #2 codes. Why??? There are so many other plastics coded for recycling!
With the closing of our nearest recycling drop off center (it’s being relocated a little farther away), I decided it was time to get our recycling picked up. We got a big tote which we can dump EVERYTHING in, and, we can now recycle all of these plastic codes: 1, 2, 4, 5 & 7.
There are so many containers which are coded #5!! Recycling is picked up every other week, but our tote is full every time – and it’s a huge tote. In fact, our recycle tote is typically filled up more than our garbage tote is!
Recycling just makes me happy 🙂
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Q: Does your recycling drop off (or pickup!) take #5?
Q: Have you ever had to replace the windows in your house? Did you have a heart attack when you saw the price????
Yes, I did.
Q: How long have you lived in your house?
Do you have to pay extra for your recycling to be picked up? Our’s is picked up just as part of our trash/waste and we have a big recycling can like yours. We can dump everything into it and it takes pretty much everything! I’m glad we don’t have to drop it off anywhere but obviously I would if we had to. I think the easier the make it for people to recycle, the more people will do it. I mean, everyone in our neighborhood must because I see their recycling bins out on trash day. Now would everyone do it on their own and drive it somewhere? Prob not. But because it’s provided, we’re more likely to do it.
We have lived in our house for 10 years. It was built in the 50s but has obviously had some upgrades since. Most recently, new roof! Hopefully that should last us awhile. Luckily our houe is small so the roof was not that expensive.
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Our garbage pickup is free every other week, but the recycling was something like $1 a pickup (every other week). It’s worth it! It’s a fairly new program in our town so everyone doesn’t do it.
We just got back from Canada and they are super recyclers. Very nice!!
$1 is a steal!
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LOL. If it’s plastic, I toss it in. I have no idea if they take it or not but as long as it doesn’t come BACK, I’m happy. They pick up every week along with the regular garbage and, like you guys, my recycling is twice my normal garbage. What really aggravates me is that we uses to pay for garbage pickup by using stickers attached to the garbage lid but recycling is free so I saved money by recycling. THEN, they decided to go to a system where we are billed monthly no matter how often we put out garbage. They claim this is a better system but it actually discourages recycling and costs ME more because some weeks, I don’t have enough regular garbage to make it worth pushing the container out to the street. I have been in this house since 1999, after the ex kicked me out of the other one. I put new windows in about 3 years ago. Yes, the bill was a bit of a shock, but the results were surprising. My heating bill was cut in half and the house is noticeably warmer during brutal Chicago winters. I turn 65 this year (Yeah! Old Man Age Group for Boston!) and I am considering moving this summer to my forever home. Not sure where that will be, but I am considering either going west to Colorado where friends have migrated over the years or back to Atlanta where I still have some family. Hmmm…… been in Chicago since 1992, but the weather and the taxes are taking a toll.
I haven’t really spent much time in Atlanta, but I would give a big thumbs up for Colorado! We always said we wanted to buy a condo in CO, but so far we’ve had more fun renting out condos at all of the other great places for skiing.
A few years ago, our city gave us those huge bins and it was like Christmas. So much easier than the small bins and sorting our recycling. I now recycle it all and it makes me happy.
It amazes me how many people just don’t recycle! I was in a restaurant with a trash can and a recycle bin and you’d think people would put their plastics in the recycle bin, but I saw so many in the trash. If given the option at a restaurant, why would you choose not to recycle?
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I know – on garbage day I see those huge totes full of garbage in our neighborhood, complete with cardboard sticking out of them and it makes me cringe!
I really don’t miss hauling the recycling bins in the back of my truck for that price! We should have probably done that years ago! ha
I know! I love recycling all of that stuff. So easy!