Published: February 16, 2008 09:45 pm            

TRIBUNE-STAR EDITORAL: Flawed recycling program better than none

Terre Haute must get with recycling

TERRE HAUTE — If the recycling aspect of Terre Haute’s 20-year trash removal contract with Republic Services, Inc., were up to us — or to most veteran recyclers — it would look a lot different. People would be rewarded for recycling and charged extra for continuing to generate more landfill-bound trash.

Instead of paying $5.50 per month for twice-monthly curbside recycling in a 65-gallon bin, and nothing for weekly pickup of garbage and trash in a 96-gallon bin, we would reverse the order. At the very least, we would make certain it cost less to recycle than to obtain and fill a second 96-gallon bin with more trash.

But, according to the new contract with Republic, the first big trash bin is free and a second one will cost city householders only $3 per month. What kind of motivation is that to get local residents to break old wasteful habits and start recycling?

All that said, it’s time to get on with the entire trash pickup overhaul that the new contract will bring. Even a flawed curbside recycling program is better than none at all, especially when combined with the improved trash pickup methods that are at the heart of Republic’s approach.

Uniform wheeled totes with fixed, hinged lids are about a decade overdue here. We wonder why the crows love us so much? Terre Haute’s garbage-strewn alleys must be on their Top 10 U.S. Cities for Food list.

Beginning on the last day of March, the city’s hodge-podge of private cans, barrels and bins will start to give way to individually numbered Republic bins that are designed for tidier dumping by automated arms on a fleet of new trucks.

The 96-gallon trash bins will be provided at no charge by the company and maintained by them. If households have no other use for their current trash receptacles, they can stuff them into the new bins or leave them, empty, beside the new ones for disposal.

Terre Haute’s current pickup system for brush and yard waste will not change, nor will its amazingly generous large-item haul-away program, which is free with a phone call to the Board of Public Works and Safety. A few bags of yard waste or a tied bundle of sticks will be picked up, as now, on customers’ regular trash pickup days. Large amounts of yard waste still will require a call to Public Works. But pickup remains free.

At first, Mayor Duke Bennett was concerned about the length of the contract, but he has officially signed off on it and pronounced it a palatable deal for the city. His approval should put an end to any budding conspiracy theories about why the Board of Public Works and Safety signed the contract in the last days of the Burke administration.

While much is spelled out in the contract, there is room for tweaking, which Bennett has said he’d like to see. Committed recyclers would, too. Mostly, they’d like the insertion of some incentive clauses that would address a few things:

Done properly and in large volume, recycling can make money for a company. If city residents come through and recycle by the thousands of households, why should we always have to pay to do the right thing? Will we always be confined to smaller bins and half the service? How about an eye to future rewards?

Second, Republic is subcontracting the sorting of recyclables to Goodwill Industries, which does not take glass items. Indiana State University’s recycling center does take glass. Is there no way over the next 20 years to include ISU or any other full-service sorter in the subcontracting deal?

Third, unless Republic and city officials secretly want recycling to fail, people must be educated about the process. An initial roll-out campaign is not good enough. From grade schools to clubs and neighborhood associations, information and explanation must be an ongoing effort — particularly if folks are being forced to pay to become recyclers.

The new contract requires 500 city households to subscribe to curbside recycling within six months of the onset of the program. Imperfect agreement or not, let’s get the trucks rolling.

        

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