Post by jaredbybee on Jan 20, 2011 10:14:48 GMT -7
I am not sure if this is the right place for my a few comments on garbage and recycling - if it is not please let me know where it would be more appropriate.
A little point and a bigger one:
1 - Why can't we recycle glass here in Provo? I have heard from others that there is no recycling center that takes it, is that right? If yes what would it take to get one? Is there any other place we can take it? It pains me to toss out perfectly good glass bottles and I wish there was something I could do with them
4 - I do not think the way the city charges for taking our garbage creates the right incentives for residents to sort. When I moved to a new home last year, I had several neighbors comment on the black, blue, and green cans that the former homeowners left saying "you know that blue and the green cans cost money, and you can really just stick everything in the black cans and they take it away." Some residents feel an obligation to sort garbage and will do it despite the fact that it costs more money for them to do it, but my guess is that the city (both the institution and the public at large) benefits from people sorting recyclables and green waste away from other household garbage and I think the pricing of things should reflect that. If it is true that disposing of black can garbage costs more than the others, then our pricing should encourage sorting.
I think there are a number of relatively inexpensive ways to create better incentives, but any system should have free (or very cheap) green and blue cans and the bulk or all of the charge should be for disposing of the waste in the black cans. One way to charge for black cans would be only charge when the black can gets picked up and let homeowners decide when they want it picked up by putting it to the curb. Another way would be to just issue smaller black cans and have an increased charge for the large cans.
I'm sure there are other solutions that would work but our current system doesn't encourage residents to dispose of their waste in a way that best protects our natural resources.
Thanks
A little point and a bigger one:
1 - Why can't we recycle glass here in Provo? I have heard from others that there is no recycling center that takes it, is that right? If yes what would it take to get one? Is there any other place we can take it? It pains me to toss out perfectly good glass bottles and I wish there was something I could do with them
4 - I do not think the way the city charges for taking our garbage creates the right incentives for residents to sort. When I moved to a new home last year, I had several neighbors comment on the black, blue, and green cans that the former homeowners left saying "you know that blue and the green cans cost money, and you can really just stick everything in the black cans and they take it away." Some residents feel an obligation to sort garbage and will do it despite the fact that it costs more money for them to do it, but my guess is that the city (both the institution and the public at large) benefits from people sorting recyclables and green waste away from other household garbage and I think the pricing of things should reflect that. If it is true that disposing of black can garbage costs more than the others, then our pricing should encourage sorting.
I think there are a number of relatively inexpensive ways to create better incentives, but any system should have free (or very cheap) green and blue cans and the bulk or all of the charge should be for disposing of the waste in the black cans. One way to charge for black cans would be only charge when the black can gets picked up and let homeowners decide when they want it picked up by putting it to the curb. Another way would be to just issue smaller black cans and have an increased charge for the large cans.
I'm sure there are other solutions that would work but our current system doesn't encourage residents to dispose of their waste in a way that best protects our natural resources.
Thanks