Okay, here is where the Austrians excel. Recycling is such a big part of life that what Americans refer to as, “Going Green” the Austrians do as part of their daily lives.
Throughout the city of Vienna you will see recycling bins everywhere. So if you are a tourist and bought a bottle of water, hang on to it until you see a trashcan that lets you separate your waste. You won’t wait long, I promise.
Right outside my apartment complex are HUGE recycling bins that take paper, glass, plastic, and cans. I just hoof it out and separate things quickly and easily.
When I was still living in the U.S. Paul and I had to drive to the recycling center, pray that the center was open, wait in a long line, and then finally hand over our recyclables. I was so fed up with the process, that I stopped doing it after the second or third time. Paul and I try pretty hard to be environmentally friendly (we don’t have a clothing dryer to reduce our energy usage and unplug EVERYTHING) but the system in the U.S. failed even us.
What does come as a surprise however is the debate going on over here about the energy-saving light bulbs. There are many articles flying around about them and how they are expensive and how you have to wait for them to brighten to their full potential. Who cares? Just be happy that you can turn a switch and get electricity!
