No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
How does the city of San Carlos, California, show it’s love for a citizen who recycles, composts or Craigslists everything, bringing his household waste down to zero: definitely, not by giving him a Valentine’s Day card.
Image courtesy of user Gengiskanhg at Wikimedia Commons.



Well, that’s certainly ridiculous. If only we were all so diligent about cutting down on waste. I kind of wish we could see more pictures of his house. I’d be curious to see what kind of system he uses for sorting.
It seems that someone in city govenment has forgotten that this is still the land of the free… Requiring residents to contract with a particular provider is hurtful to free-enterprise and our economy. To say nothing of the fact that this gentleman has the right to make a “choice” about recycling. More than likely, if someone were to examine Allied Waste, the story would change… Allied is one of the largest disposal companies in the US offering only 53 recycling stations in 128 markets (37 states) now I wonder if San Carlos offers recycling services??? Shame on the city - for not protecting the right of a citizen to make a socially responsible choice…
Jo-Ann, I couldn’t agree more: requiring someone who legitimately produces no waste to pay for trash collection sounds like “Catch-22″ at best, Orwellian at worst.
Interesting point you make about Allied Waste, by the way: those are pretty damning numbers, from a recycling standpoint.