Readers happy about new single stream recycling
The weekly poll last week was about the city’s new trash collection fee:
Q: St. Louis has just started a trash fee of $11 per month per unit. Which of the following two best describes your reaction:
- Glad single-stream recycling was added 75 [37.69%]
- The fee is fair for the service provided 39 [19.6%]
- Other taxes being collected to the city should cover trash collection 20 [10.05%]
- I don’t mind the fee as long as they continue picking up twice per week 17 [8.54%]
- I live outside the city and pay for my trash collection. 15 [7.54%]
- Multi-family buildings should pay a lower fee per unit than single family houses 11 [5.53%]
- I pay for private trash collection through my condo fee (or similar) 8 [4.02%]
- The city went to once per week collection for a bit just so $11/month for twice a week wouldn’t seem so bad. 7 [3.52%]
- Unsure/no opinion 4 [2.01%]
- Other answer… 3 [1.51%]
Voters were allowed to vote for two answers. No matter their view on the fee, they liked the recycling. Had the recycling not been added I think we would have seen a revolt.
The three other answers were:
- I MAYBE trash 1 bag/2 weeks. Everything else is composted/recycled.
- I think the whole thing is crap.
- If we would work on increasing the population
Share your thoughts on the fee below.
– Steve Patterson
What about single stream recycling for those with roll out carts? Do we have to walk to an alley to recycle?
Excellent question!
I'm not sure of the logic behind “Multi-family buildings should pay a lower fee per unit than single family houses”. Yes, they typically generate less yard waste, but the real variables are the number of people and the amount of landscaping (and the care taken). No “simple” rate structure will be very fair, and creating a complex-but-more-fair rate structure is a challenge given the relatively low monthly charge – instead of $11/unit, should we charge $4/person + $0.50/ sq. ft. of pervious area?!
I'm also not sure of the logic of multi-family properties paying less. As the owner of a four-family I am perfectly fine with paying the fee on all four units.
Sorry I missed this poll. When dies recycling begin? How? Where is the educational component? How will it work in neighborhoods with roll outs? I dare say our 4-family produces less trash than most 1-family homes.
Is that a picture of the actual dumpsters the city wil be using? I'm guessing not, but similar. I continue to doubt that real-world use has been well thought through. These units appear to allow users to only open the lid 4″-6″, so you'll need to “crack” the lid with one hand, then feed your recyclabes in, one at a time, with the other hand. You won't be able to take out a bin of stuff and just dump it. My guess/observation of humanity, is that maybe 20% will go through these gyrations, while 80% will just say, “Screw it” and dump everything in the non-recycled bin.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not opposed to recycling, just this system. We recycle now (paying extra for the privilege of weekly curbside pickup), but it's relatively easy – fill the bin and take it out every week or two. I also understand the need to balance convenience with keeping inappropriate items out. The reality is that it will all boil down to which bins have space available. Just like now, if the yard waste bins are full, yard waste ends up in the trash bins. That, and I wouldn't be surprised if some “user modifications” started to occur, to defeat the lid limitations . . .
This is from 14th & Washington Ave, not the one for residential neighborhoods. I recall trash always being placed in yard waste dumpsters and yard waste being dumped in trash bins. At my condo we lock our recycling dumpsters.
This is a part of moving for fee for service among strapped municipalities all over the country. Garbage collection used to be one of things that cities just did as part of the services provided with general revenue. Now, there is not enough general revenue due to, among other things, kicking pension and benefit problems down the road. The returns weren't enough to cover benefits, so now current residents have to be tapped for unsustainable promises made a long time ago. I don't see this going away when economic times get better, either.
What happens when people don't pay? You want garbage picked up as rats and such can get out of hand.
Most of my neighbors will likely view singlestream recycling dumpsters as another dumpster for their trash, too.
I believe I read the containers would have lids with slots to allow paper, bottles or cans. This will prevent adding trash but discourage recycling due to the time it will take to get rid of items. Once the containers are in place I will review.
we have a recycling center near us with slotted lids. very slow and tedious process. i am committed to recycling but most in my neighborhood are not.
My guess is that the secured lids are also to prevent aluminum diving. I used to work at a non-profit recycling center and without the aluminum in our stream, we would not have had any money to recycle everything else. WE had to double lock the aluminum, and it was still stolen a couple times. Recycling glass and plastic is expensive and even though its been 8 years, I'm sure the $$ from the aluminum is needed to subsidize the other stuff. I'm just not sure how the city would work around this.
I, for one, will miss placing my cans in the alley to see how long it takes for them to disappear, but think I can manage to get them in the slots.