Just end the program

In an op-ed in Monday’s paper, the executive director of the Regional Recycling & Waste Reduction District in Pulaski County tried to make the case that the latest reduction in allowable items for the curbside recycling program is the result of market forces. What he did was make the case for shutting down the program.

Back in the olden days before the curbside program, I took my recyclable stuff to the collection station in War Memorial Park. The city didn’t manage it very well and it was always a mess. But I did my best to get the items into the correct containers. Then I was asked to participate in the pilot curbside collection program. I was given a bin and sorted paper/ cardboard from glass/plastic/metals. When I moved to a new home, I used two bins—one for paper/cardboard (with larger cardboard placed next to or under the bins) and one for the glass/plastic/metals. Both systems worked well.

Then Waste Management decided to move to the single-stream pickup method. No sorting at home. They installed an expensive machine that was supposed to sort recyclables. It didn’t take long for them to discover that “sheet” plastic (grocery bags, etc.) got caught in the machine and glass broke too easily. The list of permissible items got shorter. More of my items went into the garbage cart destined for the landfill.

Now, due to the market forces the director talks about, even less can be put in the recycle carts. The district collects far fewer types of items and the cost to citizens continues to go up. On top of increased fees, I now must take some plastic bags to the grocery store. A private firm will collect glass either at certain dropoff locations, which I don’t frequent, or at the house for yet another fee.

It seems the cities and the district will ride this horse into the ground despite rising costs and reduced demand just to be able to make the feel-good statement that “we have a recycling program.” As long as they can force me to pay ever-higher fees, they will keep doing what is no longer working well.

MARK BARNHARD Little Rock