I recently stayed at a Doubletree Hotel for a work meeting. It was a nice two-room suite with a king-size bed that made the queen-size one I have at home look dinky. I had two large televisions to choose from when watching TV and a nice wet bar where I could make coffee. Aside from some really slow internet access and the fact that the gym was two blocks away so there was no way for me to get there in my workout gear (shorts), the stay was really nice. The best part? They had trashcans that I’ve wanted for a long time and, in fact, thought were an idea of my own creation.

Inside each trashcan were two smaller trashcans — one for garbage and one for recycling. It’s fabulous! The fact is, we create garbage and recyclable material in just about every room in our house. And yet we only have one indoor recycling container in our kitchen and a bag I keep in my office. If I had one in every room I’m sure I would recycle even more.
Unfortunately I didn’t have the guts to steal this one so I still need to figure out my own solution. But at least now I know its possible. And that I won’t make millions from what I thought was my own invention.
This post originally appeared on Kate’s Point of View. © Kate. All rights reserved.