Throwing your money in the Trash..

[Varmit]

With all the problems our country is facing, this is the type of law that gets passed.  True, its only for that area but...how much longer until this type of insanity infects the rest of the republic?



High-tech carts will tell on Cleveland residents who don't recycle ... and they face $100 fine

Published: Friday, August 20, 2010, 8:00 AM 
Updated: Friday, August 20, 2010, 8:09 AM
Mark Gillispie, The Plain Dealer


Plain Dealer file CLEVELAND, Ohio -- It would be a stretch to say that Big Brother will hang out in Clevelanders' trash cans, but the city plans to sort through curbside trash to make sure residents are recycling -- and fine them $100 if they don't.

The move is part of a high-tech collection system the city will roll out next year with new trash and recycling carts embedded with radio frequency identification chips and bar codes.

The chips will allow city workers to monitor how often residents roll carts to the curb for collection. If a chip show a recyclable cart hasn't been brought to the curb in weeks, a trash supervisor will sort through the trash for recyclables.

Trash carts containing more than 10 percent recyclable material could lead to a $100 fine, according to Waste Collection Commissioner Ronnie Owens. Recyclables include glass, metal cans, plastic bottles, paper and cardboard.

City Council on Wednesday approved spending $2.5 million on high-tech carts for 25,000 households across the city, expanding a pilot program that began in 2007 with 15,000 households.

The expansion will continue at 25,000 households a year until nearly all of the city's 150,000 residences are included. Existing carts might be retrofitted with the microchips.

"We're trying to automate our system to be a more efficient operation," Owens said. "This chip will assist us in doing our job better."

The chip-embedded carts are just starting to catch on elsewhere. The Washington, D.C. suburb of Alexandria, Va., earlier this year announced it would issue carts to check whether people are recycling.

Some cities in England have used the high-tech trash carts for several years to weigh how much garbage people throw out. People are charged extra for exceeding allotted limits.

Cleveland officials want to automate nearly all residential waste collection under a program being financed in part by a new fee that went into effect earlier this year.

The automated trucks allow drivers to remain in the cab and empty carts using a remote-control arm. Cleveland owns three of these trucks and plans to buy nine more.

Recycling is good for the environment and the city's bottom line, officials said. Cleveland pays $30 a ton to dump garbage in landfills, but earns $26 a ton for recyclables.

The city last year sent 220,000 tons of garbage to landfills and collected 5,800 tons of recyclables.

City Council approved updated trash collection ordinances last month to include a section on automated waste collection and curbside recycling. The new law changes infractions of the law from a minor misdemeanor to a civil penalty. The recycling law only applies to residents who have been issued the carts.

The new law also prohibits people from setting out excessive amounts of trash on tree lawns, which officials say has been an ongoing problem. Fines for excessive trash will range from $250 to $500 depending on the amount.

In either case, the property owner receives the citation. Landlords are responsible for making sure their tenants follow the law.

Owens said Cleveland will conduct a public-service campaign to educate residents about the new collection system and recycling program.

The city stepped up enforcement of ordinances governing trash collection last year by issuing 2,900 tickets, nearly five times more tickets than in 2008. Those infractions include citations for people who put out their trash too early or fail to bring in their garbage cans from the curb in a timely manner.

The Division of Waste Collection is on track to meet its goal of issuing 4,000 citations this year, Owens said.

"We're trying to make sure Cleveland stays clean and residents are properly informed on how these things should be set out," he said. "By issuing these tickets, it's helping us change the attitude or perception on how things should be set out."

Councilman Martin Keane, who represents the West Park neighborhood, said he would prefer that the Division of Waste Collection use more discretion when deciding whether to issue a ticket. A warning in many instances would suffice, he said.

"Everybody knows the ones who blatantly disregards the law," Keane said. "Those are the people we should hit with a $100 ticket."

[twirldoggy]

absurd

[Varmit]

Yes it is.  But which is worse, the law itself or the fact that there are people in office that actually thought it was a good idea?  The truly sad thing is that there are those in the general public that support this lunacy.

[Wilma]

Which is worse, a law mandating recycling or people who refuse to do what is best for the environment, making laws like that one look good?  If everybody would do what is best and respect the environment and each other, there wouldn't be a need for most of the laws we have.  What else can be done to get people to realize that they have to take care this problem?  Whatever happened to Lady Bird Johnson's clean up the country campaign?

[srkruzich]

time for residents to break out the burn barrels....

[srkruzich]

Which is worse, a law mandating recycling or people who refuse to do what is best for the environment, making laws like that one look good?  If everybody would do what is best and respect the environment and each other, there wouldn't be a need for most of the laws we have.  What else can be done to get people to realize that they have to take care this problem?  Whatever happened to Lady Bird Johnson's clean up the country campaign?

It is a problem.  Serious problem when Govt starts searching your trash....

I don't know about you but i have seen where these recycle bins go.  They go right into the general trash dump.  I've been to several dumps and watched as they dump it all into the pit.  Secondly, i have watched as they dump the recylables into the truck pit and push back, the same place they dump garbage. 

[Varmit]

What best for the enviroment??  Do you have any idea how much enegry it takes to recycle those products?  You want laws that work for the "greater good"?  Heres one for you, Mandatory End of Life.  Lets say that in order to decreas the burden and stress placed on the planet we hereby implement a Mandatory End of Life on persons who met or exceeded the age of 60 years old.  Just think of the cost saving benefits.  How much less we would spend on Medicare/Medicaid, Social Security.  No more would we need nursing homes, reducing the need to build on that property?  Families could reduce the size of their homes and the amount of enegry they consume because they wouldn't need to care for their eldery.  Of course, included in this would be a mandatory cremation clause, afterall we wouldnt' want to take up or polute the ground with human remains.

Ridiclous?  Yes it is.  But people fail to see that it is small steps that lead us to that type of legislation.  How far are we willing to go in the name of the enviroment?  Why not shut down all means of production and industry afterall they are one of the biggest polluters right?  Why stop there?  Why not force everyone to give up their cars and start riding bicycles?  Ambulances with their diesel engines...gone.  Old people that do nothing but take up space and consume enegry...gone.  Abandoning common sense and placing the enviroment in a position of worship...alive and well.

[Varmit]

Srkruzich, well said.  "Recycling" is nothing more than a scam.

[srkruzich]

Unfortunately everyone is being held hostage to the religion of environmentalism.

[Diane Amberg]

So stop with the over packaging too. All that has to go some where. Look at the size and amount of plastic packaging that surrounds some of the things we buy. Not that we can get it open! I've started buying some of my basic cereals for 1.49 a pound in a plain plastic bag at the Amish market rather than $3.79 for 14 oz. in a fancy box. Last time I was there I bought Spicy Granola cereal 3.14 pounds for $4.68. Throw some raisins or cranberries in if you want and you're in business. I can make my own baking powder too. No can to toss out. Newark went on a very realistic recycle plan awhile back and I've got to admit, now that I've gotten used to it I really like it.
 Varmit, there is no comparison whatever between "end of life" and recycling card board. How about we go the other way? You can only have one child, so now you have to kill the other one.  Save all the hassle. Cheaper too. Or keep sending trash to China. They buy most of your trash as it is.  Then we just stop buying it back after it's made into new goods. Problem solved.