How nice our SLO City Council had such great platitudes (as per New Time‘s reporting, “SLO, Grover Beach raise recycling rates,” June 20) to justify yet another large increase in garbage charges. Staff recommended the increases (when has staff not recommended increasing fees, charges, or taxes?), so the council sheep baa’d into line.
To blame the increases on removing waste from recyclables is disingenuous. Why are people confused about what’s recyclable? Because it keeps changing, but neither our “zero-waste” city nor the garbage company make much effort to keep us peons informed. So we think things we were told for years are recyclable are still recyclable.
The history of SLO recycling explains a lot: first it was newspapers, aluminum cans, and glass bottles. Pretty simple. Then tin cans and plastics with certain numbers in their recycling symbols. Then we were told to put plastic bags, old foil, and everything paper, metal, glass, or plastic into our bins. If in doubt, we were told, recycle it and cut waste.
Now that’s an excuse for higher fees to remove non-recyclable “waste.”
At a minimum, both the city and the garbage company should mail every household specific instructions about what is, and what isn’t, recyclable at least once a year. Any time there’s a change, that too should be noticed.
Raising charges on us for doing as told isn’t fair.
Brenda Holmes
San Luis Obispo
This article appears in Jun 27 – Jul 7, 2019.
I recall reading that the state requires sorting non recycle bin trash as well. Where is the automated system that is the only practical way to sort trsh. Where are the companies ready to reuse recyclable material? A failing industry business and homeowners supprt with the fees for service – i.e. trash company bills.
Green capitalism is an oxymoron