At times I long to contribute to the myth that artistic endeavors are about capturing beauty, intense emotion, or harnessing passion but the unromantic aspect about it for some is simply that it is nothing more than another bottle to crawl out of, a welcome distraction, or solace we can unapologetically escape into from the rest of the world. In the absence of sentimentality, there can lie a functional purpose.
In this case the purpose is clear labeling for recycling bins. We don’t have curbside recycling here, and it is the responsibility of the occupant to deliver recyclables to town center and sort them according to classification in rows of dumpsters. Surprisingly community participation is higher than in areas of the county where curbside recycling is available.
There are attendants on site to assist the elderly and those with mobility issues. The town has contracted those positions to a local agency that specializes in placing people with special needs in jobs. For the community it a win-win.
After months spending time separating items on site and double and triple handling things, I accumulated enough cat litter containers to recycle accepted items. It worked well until the attendants cleaned out the back of my vehicle for me and tried to hijack my bins. It wasn’t malicious. They were simply trying to be of use and recycle all recyclable containers.
This prompted a labeling spree on my part. Form follows function, and though less passionate, clear identification improves communication. Each container has five labels, in order to cover all product labels and so that no matter how the bin is positioned the contents are easily visible. Of the five labels for each bin, there are three different illustrations done in gel pen and marker (mostly because I need the practice).
II don’t usually discuss the time I spend on a project, but this project took more time than I anticipated (weeks instead of days). When I finished spread the labels out to justify the labor and felt a little better about it…twenty-four different designs and forty illustrations in all.
Technical Blah, Blah,Blah: The containers used are cat litter bins (35 -40 lb. capacity) with an attached hinged lid, which seal tightly and keep odors restrained (even kitchen compost). Each label is laminated to prevent moisture from damaging the illustrations. Label sizes are: 7.375″ x 6″, 5,5″ x 7.375″, and 7.5″ x 7.375″.
Below are samples of each label size and a finished product photo. If you wish to view a pdf file of all twenty-four different illustrations leave me a message in the comments and I will email you copy with the understanding that you are permitted to print out for your own personal use, but you are not permitted to distribute or claim credit for my designs in any way.
That’s a clever use of litter containers – especially for compost. We usually take our scraps out daily to our compost “pile”. Since Laura is mowing more often and she refuses to bag the clippings, the compost pile is now a compost mound with the occasional addition of kitchen remnants – which, I suspect, feeds the chipmunks instead of the enriching the compost.
I like your labels. That’s a lot of work.
These are fun! Even though our move is less imminent now, I still need to do some packing and organizing. This sort of project would be just the ticket to Procrastinationberg I could get into.
As far as recycling goes, we just got those giant single-stream bins, so all the sorting is done at a mammoth center in Hartford, paid for by my very high taxes.
Oh you are awesome! Useful and decorative.
It’s interesting that compliance is higher than some communities w/curbside. What’s up with that?
You make being green fun.
Bob, thanks. I’m sure the chipmunks appreciate your efforts. Actually I think my chipmunks would appreciate you efforts. Mine have been forced onto a heart healthy diet thanks to a box of stale cheerios.
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de, we had curbside service in our old town. It’s one of the few things I miss about the place. I used containers similar to these when we moved. They were good for dishes and glassware.
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men, the community demographics are probably revealing when it comes to the compliance, but I also think the facility receives good publicity in the community papers.
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sari, awwww shucks.