THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, February 20, 1996 TAG: 9602200009
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 39 lines
I (and most other citizens) began recycling because it's the right thing to do. Up to now it has cost nothing but a little time and effort. In fact, I could take aluminum in and be paid for it. Several years ago bins were set up where we could take our cans, newspapers, plastics and bottles. We decided to do our part for the ecology.
A couple of years ago the local government offered to ``do us a favor'' and now does provide curb-side pickup of our recyclable materials. We don't get paid for the materials now, but we don't have to take the materials to the bins either. Fair is fair.
It does cost a little more when buying recyclable goods, but we want to do our part for the ecology.
Recently the paper ran an article stating that the local government(s) were planning to assess a monthly recycling fee to pick up recycled materials. Don't do us any more ``favors.'' The day they assess the fee is the day I stop recycling, at least through the government.
In fact, the local government should pay us for materials we recycle. The government is selling the materiels we provide, isn't it? We are paying higher prices for recycled materials, aren't we? How many times, and how much, do we need to pay to recycle?
If the government(s) can't economically provide a recycling collection-and-distribution operation, they should turn over the operation to an organization that can, or let the organizations that really care put the bins back up and let us recycle on our own again.
P. R. KNOLL
Chesapeake, Feb. 9, 1996 by CNB