[Durham INC] waste confusion...

[RW Pickle]

If you get around town as I do, you couldn't help but notice the confusion
in cans, days, bins, colors, folks are having across town. Does this look
like a City in a waste confusion to you?

Over here, we averaged a 58% failure rate in picking up what we were told
was going to be picked up (66% on the east side and 50% on the west side;
they are picked up on 2 different days). I fielded questions from
neighbors all weekend. You guess that means that the 3 bulky items we
could set out last week (that didn't get picked up) can grow to 6 this
week? Maybe if missed this week, we can do it monthly and put 12 items at
the curb.. And we've yet to get to our appointed new recyclable can pick
up week which is this week. I can just see it now...

But what irks me is that while neighborhoods have to deal with recycling
on an every-other-week schedule, those folks living downtown get theirs
picked up just like it has always been; weekly. Now that hardly seems fair
to me. What makes them so special and makes the rest of us have to
remember some bizarre schedule? You think neighborhoods are less
deserving? If you read the press release that was sent out, it's like you
need a calendar marked-up to remember. Here is what some of it said (in
case you missed it):

"Since the new recycling roll-out carts are significantly larger than the
old bin, recycling collection will now occur every other week on the same
day citizens receive solid waste collection.  Garbage collection in the
green roll-out carts will still be every week."

It also tells us that there are actually 3 different sizes of carts 
available but unavailable to single family homes until sometime down the
road. So what are our older residents supposed to do with this heavy, big
new blue/red cart? Wait? Why should condos and townhomes have more choice
than the rest of us do?

"The new curbside recycling program isn’t the only change occurring next
week.  The bulky item collection program will now be offered on a weekly
basis."

"Yard waste collection customers will also need to take note of a new
collection schedule beginning Monday.  The brown roll-out carts should
still be placed at the curb by 7 a.m. the same day as the weekly garbage
collection in the green roll-out carts."

"Friday garbage, recycling, and yard waste customers should now set their
carts out on Wednesday."

So we enacted ordinances to get carts off the right-of-way in a timely
manner (even suggested by the Appearance Commission I believe), yet Solid
Waste says we need to get the carts and bulky items out there so they can
sit for a day and show the rest of the world how many trash cans we rent
from a company that now controls ALL our waste carts (or so you'd
think...).

INC supported rolling out a city-wide yard waste program a few years ago
but the purchase of the additional roll out carts held it up. Yet we can
roll out a city-wide recycling program and we have yet to hear what is
actually happening to our recyclables (want to bet their going to a
Virginia landfill like the yard waste and the green cart waste...). As of
the Wednesday before the program rolled out (last week), The Director told
me that no contract had been signed to do anything with the recyclables.
So we roll out a city-wide program with all these expensive carts (that we
rent) and we don't have a clue what we're doing with them once they are
picked up? I understand that when the question was raised to the Director
at last week's PAC2 meeting, the answer was vague to say the least. I
think we should know what is happening with our recyclables; all of them.
Where are they going, who is involved, and exactly what the deal is. After
all, it's our tax dollars that are at work here.

I'd also like to see the data where Solid Waste determined (as they have
said in the press and is written on the sheet that comes with your new
recyclables cart) that "in a pilot program, recyclable materials increased
by 50%". I say that's hooey! Carts don't recycle, people do. And having a
new cart can't lend itself to a 50% increase. That dog just don't hunt...
If you or your neighborhood was part of this "pilot program". I'd like to
talk to you. TFC (the previous recycling contractor) once told me that our
neighborhood was model neighborhood because of how much we recycle. I
guess the pilot program wouldn't want to use a "model neighborhood" for a
test.

We'll see how it goes this week. I'd like to hear from others as to how
they see it working. Are there bins and carts out in your neighborhood on
the curb? As I drive around the City, I see the confusion. A 58% failure
rate over here tells me we can't be alone... City Council made recycling
mandatory 12 years ago. I'd be willing to bet that not one citation (or
left-at-the-curb-un-emptied cart) has ever happened. Just put your
recyclables in black plastic bags (another worthless ordinance) and no one
will ever know... Or maybe this is all just a ploy to finally give the
enforcement person INC fought so hard to get (and Solid Waste sissyfied
our pit bull) a shot in the arm with all of the carts left at the curbs
and the tickets he can write. Is this cart/schedule confusion really a new
revenue generating tool to help out the budget? Inquiring minds want to
know...

RWP
27 Beverly