ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, March 28, 1997 TAG: 9703280053
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-8 EDITION: METRO
WIth curbside-collection programs, Roanoke County and Roanoke city are moving in contrasting directions.
ROANOKE County is abandoning the curbside recycling program it pioneered a decade ago but never broadened to serve more than 15 percent of county residents.
Roanoke city, a latecomer to the idea, has expanded curbside recycling to cover two-thirds of its homes. Moreover, the city is to undertake for the month of April a special pick-up program for brush and bulky items like old appliances and furniture.
Bad guy, good guy? Well, not exactly.
For starters, part of the reason for the county's decision is lack of interest on Roanoke's or Salem's part in regional curbside recycling. At least in the eyes of county officials, that might well have lowered recycling costs in all three localities. But Roanoke, where per-capita curbside-collection costs ought to be less anyway because of the city's relative compactness, uses a different system from the "one-armed bandits" the county wanted.
Also, expectations of local government may be higher in the city (a point worth keeping in mind by City Council as it considers cutting Roanoke's real-estate tax rate). One issue that emerged last year during Roanoke's municipal elections, for example, was more attention to the city's cleanliness.
The special bulk-collection program should help. Normally, residents must call and schedule a pick-up. During April, however, city crews will go through every neighborhood. In the week of April 7-11, they'll cover the quadrant of the city south of the Norfolk Southern tracks and west of Interstate 581. The next week, April 14-18, it'll be the northwest quadrant; for April 21-25, the northeast quadrant; for April 28 through May 2, the southeast quadrant.
Regional curbside recycling didn't fly, but at least the county, the city and Vinton will cooperate April 11-12 for Tire Amnesty Days. Discarded tires can be dumped, without fee, at five drop-off sites throughout the valley. It's a small step forward.
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