RE: [GreenYes] (apartment) recycling

["JaxRecycles" <JaxRecycles@coj.net>]

Definitely check to see the extent of the recycling mandate in your
municipality.  Jacksonville, FL, has a recycling mandate, but it only
goes for single-family households (curbside pickup).  However, a woman
in town has been successfully running an apartment recycling business
since 1996.  She works with apartments that have trash compactors -
apparently this helps to make her services more cost effective to the
customer.

As an aside, I find mandates to be a bit strange.  Generally, they seem
to be inconsistently applied and infrequently (if ever) enforced.  When
was the last time you saw the garbage police check someone's garbage for
recyclables and give them a citation for non-compliance with the
municipality's recycling mandate?  
Furthermore, when these laws are passed without the means to enforce
them, it's no wonder that people ignore them.  In the South, we
definitely retain a little 'rebel-mentality' and I've actually met some
folks who say they don't recycle just because 'the man' is telling them
to!  For those of us who do wish to recycle, I believe there is a
mis-perception that (because of things like mandates) the government has
everything under control.  In most cases - and especially in low budget
departments like mine - this couldn't be further from the truth.  
Finally, the long-term results are that the public becomes apathetic and
uninvolved, which are very bad if we are truly striving for culture of
zero waste.
On the positive side, groups that educate and empower citizens to take
responsibility for their own waste streams seem to fair better.  I'm
sure most subscribers to this site are familiar with Ecocycle in
Boulder.  I am very impressed.  Another one that I am proud to be
affiliated with is called the GreenTeamProject.  They have established
"green teams" in at least four municipalities around the country, and
are now working on Jacksonville.   Check them out at
www.greenteamproject.org
-Andy Fairbanks, City of Jacksonville SWARM and University of North
Florida student

Andrew D. Fairbanks
Solid Waste and Resource Management
140 West Monroe Street, Suite 200
Jacksonville, Florida 32202-3713
(904) 630-4185, extension 233
fax: (904) 630-4191

>>> <Katherine.Murray@ci.austin.tx.us> 09/06/02 10:56AM >>>
Is the apartment telling you that they don't have to comply with the
recycling mandate or have you contacted the city to find out for sure? 
I'd
confirm with the city responsible for enforcing the mandate.  The
apartment
management may just not be educated and cities enforcing recycling
ordinances often find out about problems from the tenants themselves. 
In
Austin we have an advertisement running on the radio right now about
apartment recycling to make sure tenants know about our mandate, and
it
lists a phone number to call for more info.  Check with your garbage
and
recycling department.  Apartment managers come and go like crazy so
they may
be new to the job.

Katherine J. Murray
Waste Diversion Planner
City of Austin Solid Waste Services
(512) 974-9043
fx (512) 974-9048

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