Posted by socialchild (anonymous) on November 23, 2009 at 8:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)

I don't really need an incentive to participate in the recycling program, I would gladly do more if they would a) provide a recycling bin with a lid so papers and things don't get spread all over the neighborhood on garbage day, and b) make sure the recycle truck guys wouldn't throw the bin into my neighbor's yard after they empty it.

Posted by Old_Paint (anonymous) on December 2, 2009 at 6:53 a.m. (Suggest removal)

Why do we need curbside pickup? Hopefully this will be a voluntary service because I don't personally see that $8/month to pay someone else that's going to make more money on the waste. I realize the trucks cannot run for free through all the neighborhoods. Is curbside pickup really necessary?

Those that "don't have the time" or don't care about participating, aren't going to anyway. In that case, all we have is a large noisy truck with a huge carbon footprint doing more damage than good, AND $8/mo just being thrown away. Helena has it's share of LARGE parking lots that are seldom if ever full, and would definitely host large dumpsters for recycle. Across the lot from a grocery store is a novel idea, considering most plastic waste is grocery bags, milk cartons, and plastic wrapping from products bought in a grocery store. What better place for aluminum collection, but the smarter folks are going to crush, store, and then SELL the aluminum cans, not just give the metal away to a recycler and pay them to take it too. If the real goal is to recycle and reduce waste, then make it convenient and no cost to the consumer, and it WILL work.

If the concern is the 'normal' spillage and 'missed throws' at the dumpsters causing an eyesore, put up motion triggered video surveilance to record the use of the system. We already pay for the city to clean up don't we? I'd rather see another job created for someone to clean up and maintain around the dumpsters than to just give $8 per household per month to a contractor that already makes $10/month on every household for garbage collection.

I see no real incentive from these "points", and any kind of scale mounted on a recycle truck that is capable of weighing the small weights is going to be a huge maintenance expense that will ultimately be dropped, meaning guestimations on how much weight/points to be credited to the participant.

I simply do not believe that Helena cannot afford recycle centers (dumpsters) at a few key locations to make it more attractive for local consumers to "donate" the waste for a better environment. If Allied Waste needs $8 per household to pick up the waste once per week, something is wrong with that picture.

The environmentally conscious will certainly support a friendlier means of recycling, but in these times, I don't know of anyone that wants to drop $100 a year to pay someone else to make a big profit on the waste. Allied can only make money on this deal, and the Helena residents can only lose.

Please Mr. Penhale, don't do this.