posted June 24, 2007
(A Response to the newly established Scenic City Recycling business: A
A positive step in the right direction).
Weekly curbside recycling should be a public service available to all citizens of Chattanooga, not just those who can afford it i.e. just as regular garbage, solid waste weekly curbside pick-ups. The response to weekly curbside recycling by the creation of a private firm in response to the demands for weekly curbside recycling by Chattanooga citizens is substantial evidence that Chattanoogans do want weekly curbside recycling. The current monthly curbside recycling program is not meeting the needs or convenience of Chattanooga citizens. The mayor and City Council can no longer keep ignoring this noble, environmental and cost-effective desire by its citizens for weekly curbside recycling.
Recycling not only economically and environmentally benefits the city by reducing its landfill volume, but also profits the city by monies collected for recyclable materials. Recycling also helps reduce global warming.
In order to truly attain the status of an "environmentally, sustainable city" Chattanooga must set recycling goals which are significant and identify a city with "sustainable, environmental status." Such status is attained by the attainment of the following two goals: 1) an 80% city household participation in weekly curbside recycling, and 2) a total recycling volume of over 50% of the total city solid waste volume.
The above goals are those that have been attained by Portland, Ore.; a city which prides itself as an "environmentally, sustainable" city. Such status should be the goal of Chattanooga’s mayoral office and its citizen. The attainment of such goals is a cost and energy effective way to handle our city’s solid waste.
So far Mayor Littlefield and the City Council have vehemently resisted the above goals, wanting to first eliminate curbside recycling and then to do the minimum amount of curbside recycling i.e. monthly curbside recycling which has proven to be inconvenient and difficult for many citizens, especially the sick and elderly.
Transfer recycling stations although convenient for some are for many inconvenient, costly and contributes to air pollution by the many trips which are needed by cars to transport the recyclables to the transfer stations.
The reason for poor curbside weekly recycling performance in Chattanooga is due to Orange Grove which cannot handle large amounts of weekly curbside recycling. Orange Grove does not want to participate in weekly curbside recycling. They are happy with the transfer station recycling. However, this does not mean that Chattanooga citizens should be denied of the convenience and cost effectiveness of weekly curbside recycling.
The mayor advertises the city of Chattanooga spends $250/ton for weekly curbside recycling. The national average for curbside recycling is $114/ton, a ‘$136/ton cost overrun’ by Chattanooga. Mayor Littlefield claims there is a "50% landfill residue" at Orange Grove due to the "contamination" of recycling materials; thus these material have to be sent back to the landfill, and monies cannot be obtained for the recyclable material.
Portland, Oregon has a "5%" landfill residue, thus "95%" of the recyclable materials are brought to recycled markets for money. Lexington, Ky., has a "3%" landfill residue, thus "97%" of its recyclables are marketable.
Portland, Oregon has been successful with its environmental goals and attainments by taking both its solid waste and weekly curbside recycling from city operations to 27 separate contracted/franchised haulers. Such private, franchised operation services would alleviate the operational dysfunctions that Chattanooga has experienced through Orange Grove for weekly curbside recycling.
The more Portland citizens recycle, the less is their solid waste bill because more recycling means less land fill volume at
$75/ton and the selling of more recyclables at $45/ton. This reflects less cost for the city, thus savings to the public.
The new Scenic City weekly recycling business is a start for such new management and operations in the city of Chattanooga for weekly curbside recycling, however, these services need to be accessible for all citizens so that the city can attain a sustainable "80% weekly curbside household participation," and related over "50% recycling of its solid waste." Scenic City would be the type of private franchised service that Portland, Ore., uses. However, such a franchise needs to be large enough, or there needs to be enough such companies "to serve the entire city," and not just a few who can afford weekly curbside recycling i.e. as is the case for regular solid waste garbage, weekly pick-up. Citizens do not have to hire private services for their regular weekly garbage pick-ups; they should not have to hire extra services for weekly curbside recycling.
Both recyclables and solid waste are related in order to attain "over 50% recycling of the city’s solid waste." Again, in Portland, Ore., the more a citizen recycles, the less they pay for total garbage services. The driving economic engine is the fact that recycling alleviates the $75/ton need for regular garbage operations which brings solid waste to landfills. Plus, the average monies collected for recyclable materials is $45/ton, thus the total optimal amount for city savings by recycling is $120/ton. However, in order for these savings to occur weekly curbside participation is needed from a large percentage of citizens, 80% of the entire city; not just a few citizens who can afford to recycle.
Currently, solid waste garbage and its current, limited monthly curbside recycling in Chattanooga is paid for by property taxes. In essence, the more well-to-do in the city, pay more for garbage and recycling taxes than the less-well-to-do. The more the property is worth, the more the property owners pay in taxes, however, both the well-to-do and the less-to-do get the same weekly garbage pick-up and monthly recycling. Both contribute to the volume of garbage in the landfill. In order to reduce the landfill input by increased recycling both groups are necessary to increase the weekly curbside recycling volume which will reduce landfill costs i.e. $75/ton, and increase marketable recyclables at $45/ton.
In other words, the idea of the new Scenic City recycling business as a private franchise needs to be incorporated into the entire city weekly curbside recycling operations because Orange Grove cannot handle such operations. By privatizing the weekly curbside recycling operations for the entire city, it is possible for the city to attain a significant, "environmental sustainable status" of recycling over 50% of its solid waste garbage as Portland Ore., with 80% of Chattanooga's households participating as in Portland, Ore., and Charlotte, N.C.
Frank DePinto
fdepinto@hotmail.com
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