Princeton Borough Parks Start Recycling

With new recycling receptacles arriving in township parks, I sent an email to the borough to ask if they could also begin recycling again in borough parks. A week later, maybe by coincidence, these buckets showed up, hooked to existing trash cans.

I've often thought that the most cost-efficient way to get recycling receptacles widely available in public areas would be to design a receptacle that simply attaches to existing trash containers. This bucket, distributed by Mercer County, is a simple version. It is attached with wire to the trash can to keep it from "walking away".

The receptacle's presence doesn't mean that recycling is actually happening. We can hope that park users will pay attention and put recyclables in the right container, and that the staff that collect the recyclables will keep the recyclables separate from the trash. There are plenty of points in the necessary chain of events where recycling can break down. But at least a functional receptacle is in place.