Thanks to everyone who commented on the new recycling program. This note covers what I learned from Linda Leighton but first talks about this change in terms of transparency and the purpose of the CACs.

Here's what the city website says about CACs:
Raleigh's CACs are a connecting point between municipal government and residents. They provide a way for the City to share information about government activities and to receive feedback from the community. Through CACs, residents and neighborhood groups participate in decisions directly affecting them.
It doesn't say that the CACs are just about zoning. This recycling change has a direct impact on our citizens.  I believe we should have had a chance to discuss the pros and cons and possibly arrive at a better solution.

I'll bring a resolution to our next meeting that urges Russell Allen to make sure that departments who are proposing quality of life changes (good or bad) inform the CACs so that we have time to provide input. We may not approve this resolution, but let's discuss it.

Update from Linda Leighton. Here's a brief summary of her points.

* She was surprised that City Council approved the new program so quickly. She thought it would be sent to the Public Works Committee where it could would receive more community input.
* The Glenwood CAC was notified, but only because she made a presentation to us. And as you know, at least I missed the importance of that part of her presentation.
* Her proposal had included continuing weekly collection, but with a 51-cent monthly fee for residents to pay for the new containers, trucks, and program.
* Russell Allen decided to reduce recycling pickup to every other week to avoid the additional fee. This proposal was approved by City Council.
* Carts will be phased in over a four-year period, route by route. For years,  old trucks have been being replaced with trucks that will handle automatic pickup.
* 15,000 people responded to Leighton's survey, but it wasn't a scientific sample so Allen didn't present it to Council. 60% of the respondents were in favor of the new program, with most saying that if pickup were bi-weekly they would want bigger bins.
* Bins currently come from a North Carolina company, but the source for the new bins will be the low bidder, not necessarily a NC company.
* Old bins will be reused by residents who want to keep them, reused by schools, or just recycled.
* She does anticipate some problems in cases where it will be a problem to have two big wheeled carts or for families who have little recycling.
* She agreed that waste reduction is the best way to go, but says there's no money to promote it.

... Linda
Glenwood CAC


Southralcap@aol.com wrote:
Everyone,
 
I heard about the rolling recycle carts some time ago and am looking forward to having one.  A rolling cart will be much easier to get to the curb than lugging the bin full of papers, plastic bottles cans, etc. - at my age that is a challenge my back and I do not enjoy.  Currently it is wasteful to have a recycle truck come every week if some people do little recycling.  Once every two weeks to empty a bin makes more sense.  As for the size of the recycle cart, there are options, just like those for our garbage carts.  Remember, before the City started a recycling program, we had to take our recyclables to a few designated sites throughout the city - just as we do now with telephone books.  At future SWCAC meetings and in our newsletter, I will be begging folks to recycle even more when they get their rolling carts.. 
 
My biggest frustration is that people do not recycle every item they can - that's what being "green" is about.  I was lucky - my mother taught me to recycle as a child many, many, many years ago.  If people had lived in Raleigh long enough, they would remember the City's challenge to find enough land to expand our "garbage mountain."  The more stuff people can recycle, the less land Raleigh will have to buy for a garbage dump when the present dump is full or if they cannot find land, the garbage will have to be shipped somewhere away from here at a much greater expense.  Do not forget some items that should be recycled are toxic to our water supplies.  Recycling saves additional expenses of purifying our drinking water, too.
 
Leaving to our children and other family members land that is as green as possible will be just as important as leaving them our home and money.  Please make a positive adjustment to this bin-to-cart change. 
 
Thanks for reading my email.  I do not want to step on people's toes, but I so strongly believe in recycling.
 
Mary Belle Pate
 
 
 
 
In a message dated 2/17/2010 12:40:47 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, linda@lindawatson.com writes:
I was surprised and disappointed to see in the paper today that Raleigh
will be using big new plastic recycling containers and decreasing the
number of city employees (no layoffs, but a net loss of jobs).

We had a presentation about recycling at a recent Glenwood CAC meeting,
but I don't recall any mention of this new plan. I took a
survey that a friend forwarded to me, but otherwise didn't know about
the upcoming changes until seeing the article today. The survey
mentioned a tax increase to pay for the new program, but the article
today didn't mention one.

Was the RCAC informed of this change? I know the people in the recycling
department work hard and have great intentions, but I would have liked
to have a more public discussion of the pros and cons of this program
before seeing it approved, including RCAC notification.

For example:
* What is the environmental impact of throwing away the bins we already
have and buying new ones?
* Where will the new ones come from? A Raleigh firm would be good, a
Chinese firm would be very bad.
* Is it a good use of tax money to replace jobs with big plastic bins
and fancy trucks?
* Should we be striving to increase the volume of material recycled or
to decrease the amount of overall waste?

Sincerely yours,
Linda Watson
Glenwood CAC chair


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