Garage project: DIY storage for garbage & recycling?

Daisy07gray

Hi ladies, I XP'd this on decorating & might on Green living too- forgive my over sharing of info:

We live in a rural area so our garbage and recycling are all DIY- take to the "dump"/recycle center. We make relatively little waste and a little more recycling so we rarely fill a garbage bag in a month (you have to purchase theirs or buy bags and pay the same price to take it there). Because we go less than once a month, all of these things are in our garage, currently "organzied" by my DH-- in garbage bags.

I'm hoping to fabricate something- hooks, baskets or containers to hold the garbage bag so it can go from garage to car (without leaking) and to the dump and recycle center. For this reason, I know that mesh or heavy canvas isn't ideal (even hanging, I imagine bugs & leaking in the car), but I don't want to/ can't afford to go out and essentially buy 2-3 recycle bins & a garbage bin. Any thoughts or creative solutions are appreciated, as well as sales tips b/c really, I've stopped taking things out to the garage-- eww!  TIA!

Crystalvision

We actually use rolling garbage bins for recyclables.  2 for plastic and 1 for chipboard. We have a big rolling bin outside of the garage for actual garbage. Then I have smaller milk crate containers for glass and corrugated cardboard.  My husband actually takes it off in his truck so I know that wouldn't work if you are using a car/trunk.   However, I think you could probably get by with something like this  http://www.amazon.com/Extra-Rugged-Large-Collapsible-Zippered-Green/dp/B000W3SY80  they usually are lined on the inside and would most likely fit in a car.

adhdfashion

I live in a rural area but still get plastic, paper and cans pick up every other week. We have to go to a center to recycle glass. We just use rolling trash can with lids. and haul every thing in H's truck.

If you have to haul it in car, maybe you should try large plastic storage bins with lids?  

Daisy07gray

It looks like plastic bins are really the smartest bet- thanks- time to thrify shop & look for coupons!  

SCBride_Oct2004

I would definitely think inexpensive rubbermaid/sterilte containers with lids are your best bet and easiest to clean if anything leaks in them too.  Good luck!

 

Kyle523Nicole

Like you, we have to take our trash/recycling in to the "transfer station" where they have all the recycling set up (in dumpsters but separated by type) and every saturday a garbage truck comes to collect the actual trash.  It's free for us - but they have a trashbag limit to 4 per household (we have to get stickers from the town hall in order to take anything there).

Anyways, For garbage DH and I use a rolling plastic outdoor trashbin (its pretty big) with a locking lid and just haul it up onto the bed of the truck to take it down.  We do this once every 3ish weeks because we recycle and compost so much.

For recycling we use this: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Mainstays-Triple-Mesh-Sorter/15554069

I took the mesh bags out (and use them for hauling dirty clothes back from camping/vacation etc) and instead use plastic garbage bags instead.  One for soup/vege cans, one for glass, and one for plastic.  It works well for us, though I would like to find a solution to using plastic garbage bags so much.  We put our soda cans in a separate garbage pail because in NY we get a 5 cent deposit back on them.

All of our cardboard/boxes that cannot be reused (we use shoeboxes for putting gifts in to be wrapped, and larger boxes always find a use) either get used for kindling when we have bon fires or get "broken down" and taken in to the recycling at the transfer station too. Regular paper (magazines, old bill statements, newspapers) all get shredded and saved for gifts/packaging as well lol.