Dear Editor:
Re: Don’t waste your chance for a greener planet, Community, Record, Aug. 31.
I have always believed that in order to get people to comply with ‘a new way of doing things’, such as recycling, you need to make it as easy as possible. When New West first started recycling, people were allowed to put things like plastic bags and glass jars in their recycling bins with all other recyclables. Then that changed and we were told we would have to take things like plastic bags, glass jars and bottles, styrofoam, (and whatever other items not allowed in the recycling bins) to the recycling facility at McBride and Sixth.
There are a lot of people in New West (elderly, those with mobility issues and car-less) that may not be able to take their recycling to McBride and Sixth. Without a car, getting to that recycling facility is not easy because it is not in a very transit-friendly location. And, seriously, who wants to travel by bus carrying a lot of recycling?
Before Karla Olsen’s suggestion that the city may have to fine non-compliant residents comes to fruition, maybe the city should help make recycling easier for its residents.
They could do this by establishing recycling collection stations at several convenient locations around the city such as malls, community centres, city hall, etc. Each station could have a bin labelled for each item not allowed in residents’ blue bins thereby dealing with the sorting issue. This way people could access these recycling collection stations more frequently and with less inconvenience.
The city could then transfer this recycling to the depot at McBride and Sixth, thereby eliminating numerous vehicles having to transport their recycling themselves. The cost of establishing and maintaining these stations should easily be covered by our existing taxes.
The city already has city employees emptying garbage cans throughout the city; this could be an extension of that.
Before jumping to the conclusion that residents are non-compliant and deciding that doling out fines is the only way to achieve compliancy, look at the big picture. Make it easier!
You will have greater compliancy and more grateful residents.
Michelle Tupper, New Westminster
