My town doesn't have municipal trash collection, so those of us who don't choose to hire a private refuse collection company take our own trash to the transfer station -- usually on Saturday. Aside from getting rid of the trash, it's an opportunity to hear what's been happening around town during the week.
Until recently, recycling had to be strictly segregated. Metal cans went into one dumpster, glass into another (except, for some reson, green glass, which had to be culled out), plastics into another (but only two types, not all types), paper in yet another, and corrugated cardboard went into a conex box.
About two years ago, it was all revamped. Now glass, plastic (all types), paper, and cardboard (all types) go into the same dumpster. It's still separate from the two compactors used for "trash," but who knows what happens to the mixed "recyclables" after the dumpster leaves the transfer station.