Showerthought: I used to think recycling my cans was climate action, then I did the math on my 2 mile drive to the center

Richard Kim · 2026-10-08T14:45:04.682423+00:00

For years I felt good about loading up a bin of cans and bottles and driving them to the drop off spot over by Franklin Park, like I was doing my part. Then one Saturday I actually counted it out: 14 cans, 6 bottles, and a 4 mile round trip in my old Corolla. That math bugged me so I started crushing everything and keeping it in the garage until the bin is actually full, which takes about 6 weeks now instead of 2. Honestly the bigger thing was just walking to the corner store instead of driving for a single item, which I do maybe 4 times a week now. I know the recycling crowd will say I'm overthinking it, but I don't think you get to call a car trip a climate win. Has anyone else run numbers like this and found their old habit was kind of backwards?

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Showerthought: I used to think recycling my cans was climate action, then I did the math on my 2 mile drive to the center | Climate Action - Rigidtalk