commingle(d) = 'stuff to recycle'

[Jonathan Lighter]

I noticed a similar setup at the Nashville airport: three cans, one for
"PLASTIC," one for "PAPER," and one for "TRASH ONLY."

Back in the dino age it was all "trash."

JL

On Fri, Aug 20, 2010 at 11:01 PM, Mark Mandel <thnidu at gmail.com> wrote:

> ---------------------- Information from the mail header
> -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Mark Mandel <thnidu at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Re: commingle(d) = 'stuff to recycle'
>
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Starting this month (August 2010), Philadelphia is accepting ALL
> recyclable-coded plastics, 1-7!
>
> And continuing the "Commingle" thread on topic: Observed a few weeks ago
> outside the Zeta Psi frat house on the Penn campus, in an area reserved for
> dumpsters. On one, a printed plastic or laminated sign [I am using / \ for
> the triangle-of-arrows recycling symbol]:
> ________________________
>
> Commingled Recyclables
> Glass -- food and beverage containers
> Metal -- food and beverage containers
> Plastic  /1\  and  /2\  only
> NO TRASH
> ________________________
>
>
> Another bin there has a handwritten sign:
>
> ________________________
>
> COMINGLE ONLY
> ________________________
>
> m a m
>
>
> On Mon, Jul 19, 2010 at 5:16 PM, Mark Mandel <thnidu at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Alas, Philadelphia still recycles plastics of only types 1 (PETE) and 2
> > (PP); all others are still trash here. *BUT* those two types and paper,
> > cans, and glass jars/bottles all go in a single container.
> >
> > It's not surprising that different localities with different commingling
> > rules have therefore different referents for "commingle(d (materials))".
> >
> > m a m
> >
> >
> > On Sun, Jul 18, 2010 at 10:41 PM, Victor Steinbok <aardvark66 at gmail.com
> >wrote:
> >
> >>  I hope that's not entirely what's going on in Philadelphia. Most
> >> Boston suburban towns have had recycling by type of recyclable since the
> >> early 1990s. Sometime later (before 2000), many started gathering all
> >> recyclables except newsprint and cardboard in a single bin, usually
> >> labeled "Commingle" or "Commingles".  (But not all--some suburbs and, I
> >> believe, Boston proper , still collect separately.) I've heard some
> >> locals refer to the recyclables as "commingables". But paper/cardboard
> >> are not a part of that, nor are non-can metals, liquids (motor oil,
> >> battery acid), mercury-laden batteries, etc. It's basically a single bin
> >> for glass, plastic, drink cans and food cans. Different locations have
> >> different plastic collected--some go 1-4, others 1-6. This is quite
> >> different from what they used to do, which was sort all plastic and
> >> metal cans separately (aluminum separate from "tin"), and glass
> >> separated by color. In Europe, glass is still separated by color.
> >>
> >>     VS-)
> >>
> >>
> >
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>



--
"If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org