When you live in the rural parts of the United States, something that is very simple to a city dweller, like taking out the trash, becomes much more complicated. I happen to have a dumpster on site where we rent, most people who live in the rural areas do not. These people tend to do one of three things: 1. Pay a lot of money for trash pickup if it is available. 2. Take their trash to the dump themselves (or take it into town and throw it into public receptacles (illegal I think). OR 3. Burn the trash. My parents, grandparents, and many others I know choose option number three because it is the easiest option. However, these people also tend to recycle plastic, glass, and metal. If you want to recycle in the rural areas, whether or not you have trash pickup, you have to take your recyclables to town.
This requires that you have a pretty big barrel to hold the recyclable stuff until you want to make a trip to the dump, which is where the recycle bin is in Greencastle. Many people, for the sake of convenience and time, do not recycle because this extra step is just too much. I have made it part of my weekly routine, and I hope that my bin doesn't need emptied more than once a week. So, if you happen to drive by a rural household and see smoke rising, chances are that those folks are NOT having a weenie roast or chatting by the woodfire.... they are just burning their trash.
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