thumb|Sorted recycling bins in [[Orchard Road, Singapore]]
thumb|Recycling bin of plastic bottles in [[Tel Aviv, Israel]]
A recycling bin (or recycle bin) is a container used to hold recyclables before they are taken to recycling centers. Recycling bins exist in various sizes for use inside and outside of homes, offices, and large public facilities. Separate containers are often provided for paper, tin or aluminum cans, and glass or plastic bottles, with some bins allowing for commingled, mixed recycling of various materials.
Bins are sometimes in different colors so that the user can differentiate between the types of materials specified for each bin. While there is no universal standard color for recycling, the color blue is commonly used to indicate recycling in public settings. Other regions also use the color green to differentiate between types of recyclable materials. Recycling bins, cans, or wheeled carts (toters) are common elements of municipal kerbside collection programs, which frequently distribute eye-catching bins to encourage participation.
History
The idea of the waste bins is believed to have been conceived by Eugène-René Poubelle (15 April 1831- 15 July 1907), French lawyer who introduced waste containers to Paris. In 1883 “Poubelle law” was established in Paris which implemented the usage of closed containers that separated waste by type. His decree provided for the sorting of waste into three categories: compostable materials, paper and cloth, and glass, which gave way to the idea of separate receptacles according to type of waste. In 1942, during World War II, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the War Production Board, which had people and companies focus on prioritizing the distribution of materials to war needs. Nazi Germany also implemented recycling techniques, not motivated by nature conservation but for resource allocation for the war effort. Their recycling policy involved separating waste into three containers: general waste, metal-containing waste, and food waste.
The United States was not the only country concerned about the effects of landfilled waste. In 1972, Dutch activists Babs Riemens-Jagerman and Miep Kuiper-Verkuyl, installed a container in Zeist to collect glass While beneficial in some respects, the "Tree Saver" had limitations, as it required people to transport the materials or leave them in front of their homes for pickup. founded the Is Five Foundation, the first curbside multi-material pickup of recycling materials serving Toronto and its suburbs. Today, the blue box recycling system, as well as similar systems are in place in hundreds of cities around the world. The proliferation of curbside blue-bin recycling containers coincided with the increase in municipal recycling rates which increased from just over 6% in 1960 to over 35% in 2017. other cities soon followed, and the blue box curbside recycling system became a staple of late 20th and 21st century life. By the end of 1991, this number had increased by more than 250% to 3,955 programs.
Household collection
Types of recycling bins can vary depending on whether they are intended for personal use or public use.
Curbside bin
thumb|317x317px|Sorted curbside bins in [[Shanghai]]
One of the most common types of residential recycling bins is the curbside recycling bin. The city or county where the residence is located usually provides a curbside recycling bin to each household. The actual type of recycling bin can vary;
common colors of residential recycling bins are green or blue These bins vary based on the manufacturer, but are all produced with the goal of collecting recyclable waste. These bins are placed in areas easily accessible to the public to help facilitate recycling. Many of these recycling bins are accompanied by a compost and waste bin Placement of these bins can be done either through private entities or different government agencies. In 2011, a sixty-two year old Ohio woman was found wedged face first in a recycling bin. She fell off of her porch and into the recycling bin and presumably asphyxiated to death. Also in 2011, the body of a forty-four-year-old man was found in a recycling plant after he was crushed to death crawling into a recycling bin. More recently, in 2022, a Massachusetts woman named Barbara Novaes's dead body was found inside a recycling bin. Although her death was determined to be accidental, her family has disputed this claim, believing her death to be a homicide.
Windows
In 1995, Microsoft released Windows 95, which introduced a "recycling bin" as a place to store discarded files