So are you wondering why some people think this new waste hauling contract is a good thing?
The new waste hauling contract may not be perfect (even tree hugging liberals have their complaints) but it goes a long way to moving us in the right direction. It encourages us to increase the amount we recycle (stuff that can be remanufactured and reused) and reduce the amount we throw away (solid waste, garbage, trash, or whatever you want to call the stuff that goes into our landfills). And that is a good thing because: * Our waste hauling contract costs are based on the number of tons of TRASH that is hauled to the landfill over 100 miles away. Less tons, less cost. This should at least help keep our waste hauling costs from rising as quickly in the future, and has been shown in some communities to actually result in decreased costs (to the community, and ideally, to its residents subsequently) * Our enlightened new contract actually shifts these savings to our city (not Waste Pro). In other words, if we reduce our trash tonnage, it is the City that will have to pay out less money (not Waste Pro). So we now have a "living contract" with the City that can save us money. * Curbside recycling has been proven to increase recycling in communities all over the country. Most of you already recycle some, but now it will be much easier and, hopefully, we will see a significant increase in the total amount we recycle (right now we recycle < 10%, national average is >30%). * TRASH production is also discouraged by making those who produce more trash pay more.
So why is recycling a good thing to do?
* It decreases the amount of TRASH that is put in landfills * It decreases the cost that we pay to have the TRASH hauled to the landfills * And because remanufacturing recycled material uses less energy and produces less air and water pollution than making things from scratch, thus reducing the impact on our environment. Is there anything else good about our new contract? Yes there is - * We now have Yard Waste RECYCLING. Local contractor, Bill Campbell, will now be picking up your yard waste twice a month rather than Waste Pro. The City will no longer have to pay for it to be hauled to the landfill (at the same cost/ton as our other TRASH) and it will be chipped right here in Cedar Key and then made available to residents for FREE. Doesn`t that deserve a WOW? * Bulk Items will be picked up once a month at no additional cost to residents - that`s cool too. But don`t forget. some of these items can be taken to the Levy County Recycling Center or if they are still in working order, you might want to considered donating them to Goodwill or other similar organization. So what`s not to like? * We will be paying more. But remember the price would have gone up about $3 anyway and now we have these new services. * We have to change if we want to make this work FOR THE CITY, FOR OURSELVES & FOR THE ENVIRONMENT.
* We could have made this even more likely to succeed if we could have (1) provided 65-96 gallon recycling containers for each resident like what is done in many communities (2) provided a very low volume trash option (20 gal) at the same or reduced cost to the old contract and/or (3) been able to add these services without increasing costs at all. But, compromises had to be made. This column is a project of Cedar Key`s Energy Advisory Panel, which welcomes first-person accounts of how individuals are conserving (or, even, aspiring to conserve) our community`s natural resources. Your submission may be made via email to jeanrigg@gmail.com. Please include your full name and your phone number. | 
