Two Receptacles

One of my many minor obsessions is how to make recycling (and compost and landfill) bins that communicate clearly to the public. It's nigh unto impossible, of course, since too many people seem to have no awareness that such a differentiation even exists, but some efforts are better than others, nonetheless.

Here are two I saw today that stake out spots somewhere near the ends of the spectrum from bad to good. First, the bad one, from a Holiday Inn Express:


When I looked into these two bins, I could see that people had thrown material of all kinds into each without regard to label, and after I looked at them from a distance, I could see why. When you stand right in front of the counter to use the bins, you can't see the labels and probably have no idea they're even there. The signage should be above the openings, of course, and most likely there should be a better idea of what items are recyclable in this particular place, since that can vary a lot, and this is a hotel where just about no users are local.

Second, the good one, from a Starbucks:


It may be overly detailed in its labeling, but it gets points for the way it uses half-circles and color to differentiate the two parts. The icons around the rim are specific to the items you would have acquired at a Starbucks, so if a user takes the time to look at them (which may be questionable, I realize), there's a pretty good possibility the right thing will end up in the right bag.