Switch trash, recycling bin sizes, pickup days
In the informational box accompanying the July 5 article, “Home-upgrade plan killed,” is a recommendation that, in an effort to help combat global warming, residents should be charged extra for throwing away “a lot of trash.”
The city of Denver already has a very good curbside recycling program. Unfortunately the message to residents is that they don’t have to take this program very seriously, given that the trash bins are twice the size of the recycle bins and trash is picked up once a week while recycling is only picked up every other week.
Switching the bins and pickup days would be a nonpunitive way to help Denver residents remember to recycle and not throw away “a lot of trash.”
Louana George, Denver
I wholeheartedly agree with Louana George in today’s letters to the editor. We moved to Colorado 2 years ago from the Chicago area, and are disappointed in the level of participation in recycling both in our neighborhood and at our places of work. In Castle Rock, as in Denver, recycling pickup is only every other week, and huge bins are provided for regular garbage. Residents have to purchase their own containers if they want to recycle. Consequently, very few homes in our neighborhood put out any recycling; I would guess the participation rate is about 10% at best. Back in Illinois, recycling is far more accepted as part of the weekly routine. Most families would recycle at least as much volume of material as was thrown out in their garbage.
If the bin sizes and collection schedules were switched I bet all of us would be more diligent about our recycling efforts.
Posted by Mark McCullough on July 12, 2007 02:51 PM