[X-Istence]

My family in The Netherlands has 3 bins.

Paper, plastic and other waste, and greens (compost).

They also get charged per pickup, so it is in your best interest to separate as much out as possible/flatten it, and make as little waste as possible in the first place.

[tripzilch]

In NL, this is different per municipality, btw. Although I have heard that where I live, garbage is not separated, it would cost more energy for the separate (garbage pickup, etc) transport chains than it would cost to separate it at the dump site.

Also, regarding batteries, almost all supermarkets (which are generally within walking distance in NL) have a disposal bin for batteries.

[windsurfer]

Ottawa has four: Paper, plastic and glass, compost, and other waste. We also have days for yard clippings, christmas trees, and old mattresses, as well as "give away" days for when something isn't garbage.