After several monthes of using the new single bag system in Brunswick, I have a few observations:

>>Garbage tends to get stuffed in the bags until you get to the weight limits...a 60 lb. bag will burst open long before you get 60 lbs. in it and a lot of stuff remains in the bag a lot longer before you take it outside.

>>washing recyclables seems odd but most plastic and glass container have food residue that must be rinsed off...and it isn't even insect season yet. Paper bags...which you have to ask for now, pile up on the porch.

NO-ONE wants plastic bags in the Waste stream and that's gonna eventually cost us more money at the market.

>>Have mixed emotions about having what is becoming a private monopoly receive all the 'single bags' for processing in their seperator in Auburn, Mass; esp. after getting a guided tour of the place in early March.

Once Brunswick closes its landfill, this will be the ONLY option left.

>>I miss dump picking for home projects..This is the ultimate recycling since it recycles all kinds of stuff that is now landfilled or burnt in a biomass boiler.

Perhaps it's a giant conspiracy instigated by HOME DEPOT to only buy new house parts in large quantities----resulted in even greater piles of unneeded things cluttering the basement and garage waiting for yet another government program to 'recycle' them ~sighs again~

Like Frank, I also live in Brunswick. I think the program has been great! It's single stream, so there's no separating cans, glass, paper, cardboard, paperboard, etc. Also, our household uses the smaller bags (no unit price difference from the larger ones), so we've never contended with trying to get 60 pounds into one bag.

Frank, here's a fix that works for us most of the time for rinsing plastic. Before you get rid of the container's cap, fill the container part way with water (and a drop or two of dish soap if necessary). Put the cap back on, shake the container, then empty. That usually does the trick. We've done this in other places we have lived and we never had an insect problem.

I live in Portland and my husband and I only recycle papers and cardboard through the Portland recycling system. Everything else we take to Falmouth and drop it off. The person picking up recycling apparently took a dislike to us and refused to pick up the recyclables. We noticed that very few of our neighbors were separating their recyclables but we were. Apparently, he didn't like it.

I find it ironic at best to see an environment reporter write--with a straight face--about the "frustration" of recyling. We have and use more stuff and junk and packaging than any society in the history of the world, yet it's too hard for us to get rid of it responsibly? Give me a break.

I live in Lisbon and I have to say we have a great recycling system. Its easy and I feel good about the amount of things I can recycle. Of curse there are some fees but ther are low and worth it.

Oh please..life isn't always easy.. recycle!

John is right, we need to make the system easier and more universal.

I live in Windham and they only want certain things. So it makes it very difficult to make sure we are recycling properly. Also because they charge 12.50 for 5 bags you really have to limit what you throw away. They don't have a big trash day and when they open the transfer station up to get rid of the big stuff, they only take the same things they pick up in trash bags. Everything else you have to pay for. Where does my 12.50 go if it doesn't pay for me to be able to recycle everything that is recyclable....hmmmmm. something to think about.

Going to Single Bag---a few additions for your home:
>>a seperated trash container, i.e. glass in one bin, metal in another, plastics in another.

>>an easily accessible, small composting container for organic kitchen waste.

>>a roller to roll up burnable newspaper and cardboard for fireplace starters.

Never get 60 lb bags...limit it to about 35 lbs.

Who are these people finding it difficult to recycle? I didn't grow up recycling (we only recycled soda bottles, for the 5 cent deposit), yet somehow I muster the capacity to rinse my containers and sort out my newspapers. Really, this isn't rocket science. I can understand not knowing where to bring your old computer or other outdated/broken electronics, but for anyone to feign confusion about how to recycle basic household waste is just plain lazy.

Didn't Lloyd Ferriss have a column with the same title. Did you thank him for the use of it?