So this week on ChangeEverything we have the following survey question:

Would you support mandatory recycling in Vancouver?

It's an interesting question, and if you're Vancouver-based, I urge you to go and cast your vote. For me, the question brings up a few funny memories, and a couple of questions.

So when I lived in residence at the University of Western Ontario, every room was provided with a garbage can, and a blue box for recycling. Garbage was collected straight from our rooms, but recycling had to be carried down to the basement and sorted by the individual. You try and guess which option the lazy and usually hung-over dorm students usually chose?

And thus I became known as the Recycling Bitch, because I would come down the hall and pointedly ask people about the recyclables in their garbage cans. (This phase of my life was likely related to the times when I used to scrape extra butter off my dad's toast, to save him from the heart attack I was sure he was asking for.) Needless to say, I was in favour of mandatory recycling then. I was *extremely concerned* about everyone else's seeming lack of concern about our lovely fragile planet.

And now, ten years older and a wee bit wiser, I think I would still be in favour of compulsory recycling. HOWEVER, I also wonder how much good recycling actually does, and I have yet to hear a truly compelling argument to persuade me that it's really a solution.

I would rather see people recycle than not, but I am not really in favour of forcing recycling, if one of its main spin-offs would be to allow people to be complacent about their consumption habits. Let's face it, downgrading the masses of garbage we create is just not the final solution. Let's face it, we need to STOP USING SO MUCH!!!

And there endeth my rant. Go vote.