Is recycling fake?

We are staying at a very lovely hostel, with an enormous common room, couches, free internet (wireless even! I can access it from my ipod!), and a kitchen. In an attempt to save some money, eat a little healthier, and to prevent me from dying of starvation (in most Latin American countries vegetarianism is not really practiced very often, let alone understood. In Argentina things are even more extreme, as beef is so very central to their culture. Each Sunday families gather to have a very large bbq ('asado') with all kinds of beef. Cows are no joke here. My only option in most restaurants is salad, which is much less exciting here than in Canada.) we have been eating at the hostel and cooking for ourselves. I was so pleased and impressed that there is an entire recylcing station here, with separate sections for cardboard, organics and glass and cans. I couldn't stop thinking about how forward thinking this was, as my previous experience with sanitation systems and garbage collection in Latin America has not been pretty. In many places it is still acceptable to throw your garbage over your shoulder and out the window on the bus.

Imagine my disappointment last night when I was finishing chopping veggies when one of the woman who cleans here asked if I was done with the choppings and was ready to get rid of it, as she was emptying the garbage can. I politely declined and told her that I would put it in the organics bin. She told me not to worry, and that they all go to the same place!!!!! Aggghh! The nerve! I was brought back to my Dal days when I realized that they too had the 'recycling station', involving three sections, there were only two garbage bags to catch everything. It makes me wonder, does recycling actually exist anywhere, or is it just something devised to make us feel like we are doing something good?