In one of the coastal towns near to me they installed some recycling bins in the street to replace general waste bins - seperate ones for glass, cans, plastic etc. The first year in operation the whole thing failed because people didn't put the right things in the right bins. The bin men aren't paid to sort them out so they all had to go into the landfill. The next year, the general bins were back again.

I completely agree with everything you say. I notice how much waste people put out compared to us. And we are a family of four. You don't need to buy things that need recycling or to go into the landfill. There are other options!