I see it as a Maxis oversight lol. Just like how a sim can drop a potty pouch and it turns into soda cans (what are they feeding that baby?).

Here we recycle certain plastics, clean cardboard, paper.



Compost can also include cardboard and paper, like brown paper bags and cardboard without sticky labels or lots of ink.

I do both of the above in rl.



They are not being wasted, I am turning them into compost. That means they are replacing a bag of fertilizer on that same garden spot. The bag costs $10 the compost is free. The main economy is selling crafted/grown/dug up items to townies. A few tress wouldn't cut it for the farm. They need every bit of compost I can get. The households who are not farms also compost and I have the farms pay them for a full compost bin. In a large hood yes they would have plenty but not in smaller hoods. So even if I switch over to my uber hood that has other ways of getting food I still like to compost. In my current hood I only have 1 main farm and they are constantly running out of compost.

This rural community has one large farm and fish as it's main source of food. (apart from the few Jackie sims food making items I installed recently that I try not to overuse) No grocery delivery, no fast food delivery, fridges come empty due to a mod I have and no restockable food bins.

Whether it's being used as compost for your own garden, or as organic waste (for compost or similar purposes, I presume) for bin day, it's still recycling. If both ways are meant to turn into compost, using it as compost at home is just a few steps removed. Not everyone has the option or need to to do compost at home, so having a pickup option is quite useful.

We've got organic waste (+ paper, glass/metal, plastic, and *whatever doesn't fit elsewhere*) for bin days. Some stores have collection places for small electronic waste and batteries, there's systems for returning plastic bottles and old clothes, and there's probably more I can't think of.

I'll rephrase it then lol. Sticking your dishes in the bin seems terribly wasteful to me, because I can't suspend disbelief enough to imagine that they could possibly be used as compost, therefore I consider them going straight to landfill (and the sims would also have to buy new dishes). Even farmers don't put their ceramic plates into the compost. XD



I have no idea what they actually do with the organic waste. I'm just presuming compost. But it isn't considered recycling. We do have a garden at home, but dad purchases fertiliser if he needs it (and I miss her terribly, but I don't miss having a dog that would eat all the sheep pellets he put down and then inflict her stenchful breath on us XD).

Half the plastic stuff isn't even recyclable anymore. We have yoghurts where the container is recyclable, but the lid isn't, which seems silly.

Here they're constantly trying out new variations of non-plastic spoons and straws for yoghurts and small juices. Some work, others just don't. Not even sure they're easier (or possible?) to recycle.

Composting is a natural form of recycling organic matter (Not sure what they're doing with the organic waste recycling, but I think some of it goes to produce biogases/heating or similar. If it can be composted it's probably just as useful in a compost bin for garden use. Throwing it in with the non-recyclables probably means it would have ended up on a landfill).

Similar here. Though, we have councils here that charge tax for various things, one of those things are waste disposal (all types, recycling included).

The council then charge an additional fee if you wish to use the green bin (garden waste). E.g, if they collect it from you, you pay extra.

So guess what happens?

No one uses it. And everyone burns it in their gardens. Most people take issue with "I'm already paying for that with my tax payments, why do I need to pay again?" kind of attitude.

It doesn't help waste collection for the other bins is only once every 2-3 weeks (It's supposed to be 2, but some weeks get missed where the bin lorries simply don't show up. )

One thing that has impressed me since we stopped using plastic bags, and are trying to cut back on other plastic use as well, is that McDonalds and KFC have stepped up to provide cardboard straws and wooden spoons instead of plastic.



We get charged extra for garden waste too. I thought that we used to have a composter, but thinking back it was actually an incinerator (not even sure that those are legal anymore).

The cooker needs to be between 2 counters and so does the sink. Neither can be next to each other and neither can be on "the edge" on their own. Like what if my sim elblows themselves against the wall or gets stuff on the wrong side??

They use paper plates.

It goes into the kitchen bin. That bin is magical, because once it goes in there it transforms everything into something that can be composted.
The sims take out of that bin compost ready waste and put it in the compost bin outside. The fact if they drop it and it somehow turns into a pile including cans is... unfortunate. But never fear! Sims also have magical transforming abilities as they only have to pick up that pile of rubbish and it is once again compostable material.

In RL most of us who compost have some kind of container in the kitchen to put things in before it goes outside. You can use a bought compost bin, a made bin or heap or just dig holes and bury and hope your dog doesn't dig it up. *Looks at dogs*

Cardboard straws are not all they pretend to be. Some use some nasty chemicals to get them to hold that shape and when they get soggy, like sitting in a drink, they can leech those chemicals. I always pull out a cardboard straw as you never know.
https://theconversation.com/eco-fri...wildlife-212472

[QUOTE=Charity]One thing that has impressed me since we stopped using plastic bags, and are trying to cut back on other plastic use as well, is that McDonalds and KFC have stepped up to provide cardboard straws and wooden spoons instead of plastic./QUOTE]

As a disabled person, those cardboard straws are a bloody choking hazard.

Don't use paper straws .. they're not as good as they're toted to be. Google for yourself.. but here's a bit of info
paper straws can be bad for your health because they can contain harmful chemicals and may not be better for the environment than plastic straws:

Chemicals
A study found that 18 out of 20 brands of paper straws contained PFAS, or "forever chemicals". PFAS are synthetic chemicals that are used to make many products resistant to water, heat, and stains. They break down very slowly and can persist in the environment for thousands of years. PFAS have been linked to a number of health problems, including thyroid disease, liver damage, and kidney cancer.

Environmental impact
Paper straws can have a negative impact on the environment in several ways:

Land use: The trees used to make paper straws require a lot of land.

Rotting in landfills: Paper straws emit more greenhouse gases when they rot in landfills than plastic straws.

They're not particularly good for hospital/care home use, either. They can work if you're able to drink up fast, but often in those places, or with disabilities where a straw makes it easier to drink, straws need to last for longer than 10 minutes. Paper straws go soggy much too fast, and just aren't capable of handling the job.



Not offering straws unless asked for, and being able to use some sort of "coffee-lid" (with a drinking spout) for soda instead of straw-lids could probably help a bit on reducing trash.

Wooden spoons, depending on type, are kinda awful, too. Some of them taste wooden, and others are too flat or weirdly shaped to be of any use... I've seen a cardboard spoon I actually did like in a yoghurt box (it was the perfect shape to scrape the sides, and it didn't go soggy in the time it took to eat), and some bamboo ones that weren't half bad.