Poisoning our planet with excess

“Trash Agency Reform Panel Eyes Recycling Enforcement,” (Jan. 20, 2024), is an eloquent example of useless blaming about a significant societal problem — poisoning our planet with excess.

There is no “away” in “throw away.” The Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency is not the problem and the solution rolled into one. Blaming the agency downstream for what we chuck into the stream is like blaming your doctor for your poor health habits.

Fining haulers because they trust that their customers to know the difference between containers labeled trash or recycling is also not the answer. Trash is a public health crisis. Several of my 30 years as a public health nurse in a nearby county involved the rollout of the Clean Indoor Air Act under the umbrella of Tobacco Control. Few people believed no smoking in bars and restaurants would happen.

It is possible to change behavior for the common good, but it requires all hands on deck: local and state governments, the Department of Environmental Conservation, Department of Health, the haulers, school districts, SUNY colleges, every type of media, public educators, the 181,000 citizens of Ulster County, and UCRRA. We all must be convinced to reduce, reuse, refill and recycle.

To the legislative panel to Reform UCRRA: Please stop pointing fingers and galvanize the breadth of stakeholders. In the meantime, make it your ongoing message to constituents to understand and commit to creating a clean environment by paying attention to the effects of the way we dispose of our stuff. — Vicki Lucarini — Kingston