Let's Have a Look in That Recycle Bin

Wasn't Green Police another name for the Gestapo?

Will they also be visiting all the politicians home's that enacted these new regulation?

What if anything should turn up in their search for recyclables that shows other questionable activities?

Most states up hold privacy even on trash.

There is a lot some can learn about a person by going through their trash. Do we really want are government compiling that kind of information. Or our so call politicians using these searches to farther their own means.

Sound like a violation of privacy to me.

The too far was when the voted them into office!

As governmental revenues are falling, numerous communities have suspeneded recycling activities to ease the strain on shrinking budgets. This also cuts down on the garbage narcs ability to monitor your garbage.

Bob

It's already started, and yes, it is going too far.

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/cleveland-recycle-big-brother-pick-trash/story?id=11488572

On happier note......we can put America to work sorting and exporting junk.

http://www.slate.com/id/2173594/

Gee, I wonder where all of those government imposed crushed clunkers went?

Our township uses recyclebank to encourage recycling. Although we did not need encouragment, It may sway others.

Where I live (Oregon, USA) most people are quite happy to sort their trash for recycling. In addition to the all purpose trash can we have a second can for metal-plastic-paper-glass, and a third for yard waste-food scraps. You can also get a fourth bin for glass. If you are a terribly busy person you can stuff it all in the trash can and forget the rest. I find it hard to imagine that there are people who have enough time to open a can of soup and eat it, but are just too busy to put the empty can in the right bin. But it is their choice. Voluntary systems work pretty well when people of good will are involved. There's not much you can do about the others - they're apparently under so much time pressure that they're already pissed off, and telling them what to do just kicks their blood pressure up a notch. So I'm in favor of voluntary recycling, but opposed to mandatory plans. As far as the 'Gestapo' digging through 'your' trash, I'm not a lawyer but I believe that the courts have repeatedly ruled that when you put your trash out at the street your right to privacy ends. But public funds spent on hiring 'trash cops' would be better spent on more pressing needs, like say education.

I certainly wouldn't mind separating stuff out and putting it in separate containers. The problem here is, I don't live within the city limits, so we have to pay for private trash removal, here's the rub, and it really pisses me off. They encourage recycling, but if you want to do it, they charge extra for the bin and the pickup and it's tacked onto my bill. So I spend the time separating everything, they pick it up and resell it, and I get to pay them extra for the priveledge. To hell with that. If they want it, they can pick it out of my trash.

Yeah, I've lived with that type of system before (one that is DESIGNED to FAIL) and I sympathize. To me things like water, sewer, and trash pickup are part of the cost of civilization, and should either be run by the local government, or regulated to avoid these kind of shenanigans. Private businesses want to keep their costs down and their income up, so they have no incentive to do what's right. It's up to the local government to craft the contract so that good incentives are built into the system. Since we're talking about trash it's doubtful that the subject gets much thought or agenda time, and besides there's often a pretty cozy relationship between the so-called private business and the city or county.

When I first moved here, I lived inside Raleigh city limits. Get this.....they provided one of those green recycling tubs about 1'high x18"wide x 2' long. I separated everything and what wouldn't fit in the tub, I bagged up and set next to it. Guess what? Anything that wouldn't fit in the tub, they wouldn't take......nor would they give me another tub. And this IS local gov't. I asked them what to do with the excess recycling and they had no answer, just put it in the trash I guess.

My take at this point, is that it's a joke. Even if everyone recycled, they don't have the capacity to deal with it, and much of it goes to the dump anyway.

You make a good point about the limited market for recycled materials. There are only so many plants equipped to melt down and reprocess the stuff, and only so many products that use the recycled materials. As you suggest, a lot of it probably ends up in the landfill. At any rate as the US adjusts to its new level in the world economy, the kind of binge shopping that puts so much pressure on the landfill/recycling system will become a distant memory.

Not all the courts, most have view it that you have reasonable right to privacy if the trash is in a container in which it's contents can not be viewed. That you placed the trash for the sole purpose for it to be removed. Not search through.

Why do we manufacture so damn much trash to begin with? The packaging of many, many products is so incredibly excessive that it boggles the mind. And it's all thrown away the moment we get it home! This is nuts! None of us are 'doing our part' as long we allow this state of affairs to continue. Unless we stop making so much garbage, in the form of packaging, 'Doing Our Part' becomes little more than an empty slogan - a nice warm feeling of satisfaction with what are really our paltry efforts at having done nothing of substantial and lasting value. Don't recycle trash. Rather, endeavor to make none at all!

I believe someone said 20-30 years ago about recycling, Scientist. Do something Gov't but they can't they don't have the goods up stairs!!