Re: [greenyes] "we don't really recycle, so why shouldI?"myth,

["Wayne Turner" <WAYNET@no.address>]

In response to Joli Pfaller's comment:

"Obviously we want that to stop happening.  Does it help or hurt
recycling to have these incidents in the headlines?"

As C. William so eloquently pointed out, it hurts when the media
exposes the unjustifiable landfilling of recyclable materials when they
were collected for recycling.  When the public is purposefully misled,
then the media will rightfully assert its obligation to expose a breach
of trust.  But, when the recyclables are taken to a landfill for
justifiable reasons such as contamination, the MRF is down for an
extended period due to maintenance, etc., then the public and media
should be apprised of the need for a temporary alteration of delivery
arrangments.  There may be other reasons the media may incorrectly
conclude that recyclables are being landfilled.

I worked in a City where the local CBS affiliate TV station was on the
road to the landfill.  We had huge signs on the recycling trucks but
none on the garbage trucks.  In the mid to late 90's it was not unusual
to hear from the station occasionally that they saw a recycling truck
taking a load to the landfill.  It most cases what had happened was that
a garbage truck had broken down and a recycling truck was pressed into
service to haul garbage that trip.  We also had some citizens call in
and complain about the recycables being put into the same truck as the
garbage.  It just so happend that the truck was a split tail truck with
garbage being put on one side and recycables on the other.




B. Wayne Turner
City of Winston-Salem
Utilities Division
phone: (336) 727 8418
email: waynet@no.address

"Experience is what allows us to recognize repeated mistakes."