I can easily see how this may have happened – quite innocently, perhaps even in good conscience. For some years I carried around a handful of batteries that I knew were toxic and should not be disposed of in landfill. But I could not find out how to dispose of them. Eventually I put them in the landfill, but that could just as easily have been the recycling bin.

We have been programmed by government recycling promotion telling us to dispose of toxic materials in special ways, not with the regular garbage. So this person obviously listened to that and did the right thing (in that regard). But it could well be that they had no idea where else to dispose of it, and recycling was possibly the only ’special’ alternative they could find. So I can easily see them putting this stuff into recycling quite in good faith and thinking they were being helpful.

After all, this stuff was packaged and no more harmful than it had been all along. So what is the big deal, really? I think it is improper of RDEK to throw a tantrum. Instead they should perhaps make it easier to recycle unusual things like this.

I think that recycling has become too complex and confusing, too bureaucratic. Over here in Nelson area I have stopped recycling entirely since the crazy new blue bag system came in. It is dysfunctional. If recycling is going to work well it has to be simple and easy.

I say all of this as someone who has recycled meticulously for decades. My choice now that I have stopped recycling is to reduce the amount that needs to be recycled – an ecologically better path anyway.