RE: [greenyes] NYC return to recycling

["Heidi Feldman" <hfeldman@no.address>]

...and recycling still comes out ahead when you consider the full
life-cycle of the virgin materials and the landfills! 

Heidi Feldman
Public Education Coordinator
Monterey Regional Waste Management District
Tel.: 831/384-5313     FAX: 831/384-3567

-----Original Message-----
From: Sharon_Gates@no.address [mailto:Sharon_Gates@no.address] 
Sent: Wednesday, September 15, 2004 8:47 AM
To: greenyes@no.address
Subject: [greenyes] NYC return to recycling

Yesterday I heard a story on NPR's Marketplace about NYC reinstating 
recycling (including a brief audio clip of Jerry Powell).  The gist of
the 
story was that recycling is not a free service, but NYC has realized
that 
it is cost-effective and cheaper than treating the material as trash. 
While I agree that we need a whole paradigm shift away from the "waste 
management" model, getting people to realize that recycling is
financially 
beneficial is a step in the right direction.  For some reason, people 
expect recycling to be a net-positive financially -- something they
don't 
expect from any other municipal service.  Nobody would say "we don't
make 
money providing water to our residents, so we'll eliminate that
program."

Sharon Gates
Recycling Specialist
City of Long Beach, California
562/570-4694