Half-Empty Blue Bins: Recycling the Beacon Hill Way
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- brycepatingre
- added this
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- groups:
- Green, Earth and Science, VC2 Top Contenders US
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- credits:
- brycepatingre Director/Producer/Editor, John McCarthy Subject, Heather McDermott Subject
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boston_buddy
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The part about the bins doesn't make sense. Recycling bins are provided (and delivered) for free in Boston. Depending on the number of units in your bldg, you'll either use the blue carton type or the big wheely kind. Can't imagine why they would want to charge for one.
Further discussion of the video over at Universal Hub. Is this a parody? http://universalhub.com/node/16049#comment-45198
- 3 years ago
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boston_buddy
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brycepatingre
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boston_buddy:
Hello to everybody over at Universal Hub who have watched the video and commented. Just wanted to respond to some of the posts regarding the video.
1. When was the film made: I filmed and edited this film last April over the course of three weeks.
2. Many people had a problem with the story that involved paying for a blue bin. The story told by John is an older story (three years old) about when he first moved to Boston and requesting an extra blue bin. Since his building had a recycling bin that overflowed, he had requested his own bin. Unfortunately, in a building with more than seven units, individual bins came at a cost to the person requesting one. So, it is true that he was asked to pay for the extra blue bin by the city of Boston. This may not be the case anymore, depending on the building you live in and the amount of bins in that building.
3. Many people felt the documentary was about stupid, rich people who don't know and don't care to recycle. As well, many noted that I didn't know how to recycle and was a hypocrite. So, I just want to say that I'm the only person in my building that recycles. I'm the one in the building who goes down into the basement and collects the bin and takes it out. I'm the one in my apartment rinsing yogurt containers and cleaning out tuna cans. The documentary, which briefly touches on the blue bins used by Bostonians, is not intended to only focus on the blue bins. The documentary is intended to draw attention to the vast amount of people who just throw away their recyclables. People are inconvenienced, unfortunately, by such things as recycling. They will throw out their yogurt containers rather than go through the easy process of rinsing the container and depositing it in their blue bin. That was the point of the doc: to call attention to most people's laziness and indifference.
4. The yogurt containers bit discussed by both interviewees was played up through interviewing and editing techniques in order to draw attention to the laziness and indifference.So, in the end, this discussion and debate over the documentary does what it is intended to do: start debate about and fuel the movement to recycle. Although, it does seem that most of you already recycle and don't understand why others still do not. It is so clear to people like us who have been recycling for so long that recycling is a great thing - an essential process. Unfortunately, it is saddening to find others not doing there part. I'm only trying to call attention to that problem by illustrating the laziness and indifference that is out there.
-BP!- - 3 years ago
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brycepatingre
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brycepatingre
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I'm happy to see that people are watching the pod here at Current and responding with their own recycling stories. Thank you all.
Nico: We should do a follow-up pod regarding your Boston neighborhood. It doesn't make sense that some neighborhoods within Boston are allowed to recycle while others are not. Shouldn't recycling within American cities be standardized and available to all? - 3 years ago
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brycepatingre
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Elligirl
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Here your first bin is free, but after that they're $4 each. The recycling bags are free all day long, though, and they are for paper and cardboard. You just pick them up from city hall during business hours and they always have plenty on hand.
Mind you, we are restricted to 2 standard size garbage cans a week here, but our recycling pick-up is unlimited.
- 3 years ago
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Elligirl
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ashabpatel
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recycling is actually a big hassle in most cities. if your city's taxpayers don't pay for door to door recycling service (as is the case with most cities), then you do have to pay for recycling pick up. and remember that you're not actually paying for the blue bin, really, you're paying for that recycling truck to come around to your house and pick up your recycling. it's the same thing for trash. you pay for a trash truck to come up to your door to pick up your trash.
if you really dig recycling, the smartest way to go about it really is to call up your trash company, and ask them where big bins are located throughout the city, and then take your bags of recyclables there.
but you're right. recycling is definitely not as easy as just sticking it outside your door. i guess that's just tough luck for people who thought being a good environmental steward was easy.
- 3 years ago
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ashabpatel
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NicoRaineau
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I never realized how inconvenient yogurt was. But seriously, good work brining these issues to attention. $15 dollars for a recycling bin? That's ludicrous. Bins should be free, no if ands or buts. People need to take an active interest in recycling. Its this laziness that kills us. There is no recycling where I live in Boston, none. I have paper bags full of recycling lining the hallway of my apartment. The nearest place I could bring it all is whole foods, but am I really supposed to dump 8 bags of recycling into their one small bin? I already know that when I move out I will have to fill my car with this recycling, drive it to Connecticut, and recycle at home. That's insane. This is a major US city. People need to practice what they preach, and it starts with the government.
- 3 years ago
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NicoRaineau
