The end for recycling? Don�t talk trash!
July 02, 2002 ~ 5:08 p.m.
I was shocked when I first heard the following story, word-of-mouth: The city of New York recently put a halt to curbside recycling, telling residents that materials they�d previously kept separate from the trash for collection should now just be thrown away. I was aghast and my initial thought was, �Way to go, New York!� How could the nation�s biggest domestic and commercial waste producer close the doors on an ecologically healthy practice? There were also fears that the rest of the nation would soon follow suit.
But, news articles soon revealed that New York is merely suspending the mandatory recycling of two materials � glass and plastic. New York mayor Michael Bloomberg�s argument is that recycling glass and plastic is too expensive, and most glass ended up in landfills anyway. New York is facing a multibillion dollar deficit, and the suspension of glass and plastic recycling could help bring the city out of its financial stupor by saving $40 million.
�Our commitment to recycling is just as strong as ever. We�re just trying to be practical,� Bloomberg said. He has promised to retain curbside recycling for paper and metal cans.
Think about this from an environmental as well as financial perspective, and it makes sense. Glass is manufactured from sand. But virgin paper is made from trees. What, therefore, would you say is the more important material to recycle?
The landfilling of previously recycled plastics is unfortunate, but New York has plans to re-institute curbside plastic recycling after one year and glass recycling after two.
If New York City is facing a financial crisis, then the suspension of part of its curbside recycling program makes sense and would certainly allow the city to channel more money into its budget.
Personally, I have always been fond of recycling. Years before my hometown launched its curbside program in 1994, I would eagerly pick through the trash for recyclables and insist on taking them to the depot on the other side of town. And here in London, where recycling is voluntary, I drag the week�s collection of cans, glass bottles, and newspapers half-a-mile up the hill to the recycling bins. (There are no options to recycle plastic here.) My dedication to the practice cannot be underestimated.
But New York needs to do what it needs to do. And it does not necessarily follow that financially stronger cities will automatically suspend their recycling programs.
� M.E.M.
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Copyright � 2001-2007 by M.E. Manning. All material is written by me, unless explicitly stated otherwise by use of footnotes or bylines. Do not copy or redistribute without my permission.
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