Recycling with the parents

So I'm currently living with my parents, depressing I know but silver lining I thought that this would be an opportunity to get them to create a greener lifestyle, as in recycle more, or at least to start with.

Now I wasn't thinking about uprooting their entire regime overnight but implementing changes over my unknown length of staying in their home. Unfortunately my efforts have either been ineffective or ignored, or ineffective and ignored. I got talked to for buying organic broccoli, which was on sale.

I put my recycle bin in the kitchen because I thought it'd be easier for them to remember that the vast majority of food containers can actually be recycled. Little did I know that this would mean a discussion later with my father. Apparently the recycle bin must be kept out in the garage, something about bugs getting into the containers. Now my argument was that there should not be any food in the containers therefore would not attract bugs. I've been recycling this way for the last three years and it's worked pretty well for me. Regardless I lost; my recycle bin is now in my closet and is used personally as opposed to communally. My parents pile the recyclables (which for them consist of paper products and yoplait containers) by the garage door.

Another problem is actually getting my parents to realize what's recyclable and keeping the recyclables out of the trash can: glass, aluminum, paper and not just in the typical forms but also things like salad dressing and steak sauce bottles. You also may have to empty the food out of the container before you can recycle it. In other words don't just pitch it because it needs to be out of your refrigerator! The containers that I leave soaking in the sink so that they'll be easier to wash, seem to be disappearing into the trash can when I'm absent from the room. And yes I'm very suspicious of my mother.

They try to get me to do their projects by stating it's "very ecological", like going for a bike ride. Sorry there are better examples but this is one that seems harmless but comes up regularly. Riding a bike somewhere instead of driving is ecological but if you're just going for a bike ride then it's just a bike ride. Kind of like a walk, you're exercising but the alternative wouldn't be using a car that runs off of fossil fuels.

Between job searching and quality parent time, I'm somehow going to have to figure out a way to fix this. But right now, I've got no clue where to go from here. At least it can't get any worse, can it?