September 22, 2000

Recycling:City about to step backward

It appears that the City of Tiffin and its residents are moving toward a decisive choice between 1) maintaining competition in refuse hauling and 2) having a effective recycling program.

There isn't, however, much doubt about the way the choice will go.

Mayor Bernie Hohman told the city council's Utilities and Related Services Committee Thursday his research shows that a curbside recycling program only works if it is part of a franchised (single hauler) trash collection system bid out by a city.

There are other options. One of them would be for the council to decide to use some of the tax dollars it collects to pay for part of the recycling, with the rest to be funded as residents bought recycling bags.

But city officials have not embraced that concept. They also do not appear to be willing to tackle the issue of franchising trash hauling.

The result could be the permanent abandonment of curbside recycling. That would be a shame. The amount of material being recycled in the city was much higher with curbside pickup than it has been with the weekly dropoff program at the city garage.

The city, which has a mandatory recycling measure on its books, has never tried to promote, enforce or even monitor participation. Deciding to rely on a weekly dropoff point would be another step away from the goals of recycling.

All that remains is an opportunity for committed recyclers to participate. That's where matters stood in the 1970s.

Progress it ain't.