The Observation Deck

I got home yesterday and was plowing through three weeks of held mail. I noted my water bill included a flyer giving some details of the recycling pick-up program that is being imposed. It has been discussed before, but this flyer gives more information, and indicates that they will impose this on us whether it is workable or not.

It gives three options: containers in the driveway apron; containers on the tree lawn; and containers in the street. The third option requires all containers on the parking side of the street; it isn't said whether this applies to the other options, but if their intent is to make fewer runs with the trucks, they probably want all containers on the same side of the street. Other restrictions are that no container can be within three feet of a parked car. My off-hand opinion was that this wouldn't work, so I grabbed a tape and took some measurements. The containers are two feet wide. My cars are seventeen and eighteen feet long, respectively. And the space between my apron, at the curb, and my neighbor's apron, at the curb, is twenty feet.

I'll do the math, since it apparently is beyond the comprehension of the division of refuse and recycling and defective planning. We have twenty feet into which we must squeeze 17 feet of car, eight feet of containers (two of mine, and two from across the street, and three feet of space between the car and the containers. Simple addition leads to the conclusion that you plan to put 28 feet of stuff in a 20 foot space, and that is not possible. Note that I have not taken into consideration that four containers will take more than eight feet, because you will need some space between them.

To simplify this, note that a 17 foot car, three feet of space, and four feet of containers would take up 24 feet of space, where only twenty is available.

I hope this administration is capable of realizing that their plan won't work, and frankly their attitude that we should seize the space is condescending and an insult to the people who pay their salaries; better that we seize some paychecks that are not being earned. Kill this defective plan and go back to the drafting board. There are ways to make recycling work better, but this plan isn't one of them

Will

I would add that this fact has been pointed out again and again to City Hall and Council,
they all know it is not a workable situation and some on council and in the police
department believe it will turn neighbor against neighbor and cause very serious issues
and conflicts.

But they do not care, though the police seem seriously worried.

Where I am at, there are 7 double and two triples near my house.48 or so garbage cans
on the street garbage day. These are also days where many of the mothers, and kids, and
others stay home with the street already over lined with cars. In a very short period of
time we went from backyard pickup, to 48 cans on the street in 1/3rd of a block!

While trying to find out about this and some other things I made a public record request
and was hauled in to the principal's office and chastised for bringing City Hall to a
standstill. When I got home there was a brand new "No Parking" sign where my wife and
I park, effectively taking away three parking spots. Oh these guys are real cards!

What gets me is that the first go around NEVER has paid the dividends promised, now we
are doing it again and told to "trust them it will also pay off" as much as $40,000 a year!

Turning neighbor against neighbor in City Council's to quote one of them, "Social
engineering experiment to make us recycle." Like we are a group of insolent little children
and not privy or understanding to the facts of recycling, that only they can grasp.

OR, to be cynical...
Why do we have to buy almost $1 million in garbage cans from the same company
every time our ex-Mayor runs for office?

This upcoming election, and maybe more in the future, we must elect those that put
residents first.

.

My plan is still to respectfully decline the can and take the recycling to the dump myself. If they force me to take it I may place it on the roof of my garage, where it will be out of sight. I have enough junk in my yard, and dragging one can to the curb and fretting about whether some genius will park in front of the can during the day and earn me one of those annoying red tags is enough stress for me.

Jim O'Bryan wrote:While trying to find out about this and some other things I made a public record request and was hauled in to the principal's office and chastised for bringing City Hall to a standstill. When I got home there was a brand new "No Parking" sign where my wife andI park, effectively taking away three parking spots. Oh these guys are real cards!.............................

Turning neighbor against neighbor in City Council's to quote one of them, "Social
engineering experiment to make us recycle."

That's interesting. My recent requests for information over the past few months have gone unanswered. Since I don't care all that much I never pursued it. I wonder if we are witnessing the arrogance of unchallenged power. That ultimately results in really bad government.

Social engineering? That doesn't surprise me much. Most of modern government is involved in an effort to force the rest of us to obey. Of course, in the case of recycling the City of Lakewood doesn't have the courage of their own convictions. We don't have mandatory recycling. I suppose if I don't want to use my new blue can I can just stop recycling and throw everything into the same can.

What if no one uses the blue cans? What if the recycle rate declines?



The list price is $59. What did we pay? Do we get a discount for 20,000?

New trash containers.


A nest of new containers behind the refuse center on Berea Road.


Loading up the next street.


Delivered to Arthur Avenue.

.

The Goodwill bag is a calm, cool, and collected (also,) character. " Fill me up " - no hurry or rush, we have time,
No need to start a fresh bag every time the dryer spits out an odd sock, "Fill me up," no urgency.

Most homes in our city recycle 3 or 4 small bags a week. If recycling is properly rinsed it will not smell or attract
animals. Giving a squish to soft plastic bottles and cans eliminates the air.

Put it out every few weeks when it is full.

I do not get the "options." Why do I have to out the can in the street or in my apron? They pick up the other can off the tree lawn just fine. Why can't they pick up the other can from there, too? Am I missing something?

Grace O'Malley wrote:I do not get the "options." Why do I have to out the can in the street or in my apron? They pick up the other can off the tree lawn just fine. Why can't they pick up the other can from there, too? Am I missing something?

Yes, you are missing something.