01-07-2008, 09:46 AM
Come on, Damon...
Only place we've ever lived that had free trash disposal is here. It doesn't cost to take stuff to the transfer station unless you're a commercial enterprise. Where we've lived in the past, curb-side recycling was only available in Sunnyvale (Bay Area), as part of the regular city trash service, for which you pay a monthly charge of around $35. You could take your recyclables to the transfer station and get paid for them as with here, so many did that. If you want to by-pass the trash service, you have to pay to take your trash to the transfer station, other than the twice-yearly free weekdends, for which there were long lines.
In the Northwest, we lived out in the boonies, so no trash service. Dump runs cost $$ per pickup load. We took recyclables to a place that paid us for them. Otherwise, you pay to have them disposed of at the dump. In Maui, the trash service fee was $70 per year, and people bitched when it went up to that from $35 -- for up to 6 cans a week. Really cheap.. No curbside -- but the recycle stations were free. That was before HI 5 was passed.
We should not expect to get something for nothing. The revenue the county will make from curbside recycling in larger populated areas will only pay a portion of the cost. The main reason for curb-side recycling is to encourage people to put their recyclable trash to some better purpose, separated from regular trash for easy processing. Additionally, all those states we lived in also had fees per bottle/can.
Nobody is getting rich off the recycling revenues that I'm aware of. It costs $$ to pick up, process, and dispose of trash. BTW, the day curbside recycling happens in our way-out-in-the-woods place, I'll be amazed. Populated areas or larger subdivisions, yes, but with so much area, the transportation costs will be very high. As long as the transfer stations are free and accessible, we have no justification to complain, other than about those who don't avail themselves of the service.
Jane
Only place we've ever lived that had free trash disposal is here. It doesn't cost to take stuff to the transfer station unless you're a commercial enterprise. Where we've lived in the past, curb-side recycling was only available in Sunnyvale (Bay Area), as part of the regular city trash service, for which you pay a monthly charge of around $35. You could take your recyclables to the transfer station and get paid for them as with here, so many did that. If you want to by-pass the trash service, you have to pay to take your trash to the transfer station, other than the twice-yearly free weekdends, for which there were long lines.
In the Northwest, we lived out in the boonies, so no trash service. Dump runs cost $$ per pickup load. We took recyclables to a place that paid us for them. Otherwise, you pay to have them disposed of at the dump. In Maui, the trash service fee was $70 per year, and people bitched when it went up to that from $35 -- for up to 6 cans a week. Really cheap.. No curbside -- but the recycle stations were free. That was before HI 5 was passed.
We should not expect to get something for nothing. The revenue the county will make from curbside recycling in larger populated areas will only pay a portion of the cost. The main reason for curb-side recycling is to encourage people to put their recyclable trash to some better purpose, separated from regular trash for easy processing. Additionally, all those states we lived in also had fees per bottle/can.
Nobody is getting rich off the recycling revenues that I'm aware of. It costs $$ to pick up, process, and dispose of trash. BTW, the day curbside recycling happens in our way-out-in-the-woods place, I'll be amazed. Populated areas or larger subdivisions, yes, but with so much area, the transportation costs will be very high. As long as the transfer stations are free and accessible, we have no justification to complain, other than about those who don't avail themselves of the service.
Jane