Interesting that the stated objective is to encourage increased recycling, yet by reducing pick-ups to once every other week, the exact opposite is encouraged. Perhaps recycling should be weekly and garbage pickup should be reduced to once weekly; instead of twice. This would encourage increased efforts at recyling and reduction of costly garbage disposal.

Agreed. I have more recycling now than garbage.

My understanding was that this was the system in use in the town and it was found to be cost effective. That is why it was implemented in the village. And if people find that every other week is not enough to get 'rid' of their recyclables, maybe they are not re-using enough. ?
Trash pick-up once a week is a good way to save some time and money, also. Half the time we aren't even putting the trash cans out twice a week(thank goodness - that means we are not generating so much garbage)

Please help me inforce in seeing that our post office recycles...often they do not
In the town this week I asked where the recycle bins were and got "oh we forgot"

I agree with garbage once a week and recycling once a week. My paper recycling is definitely filled to the top every week -- between papers from backpacks, junk mail, empty juice.. milk...pizza boxes (you get the point). Remembering which week we put stuff out is probably, honestly, going to have me throwing more papers in the garbage. Sad but true. Once a week for garbage is enough... once a week for recycling. Perfect.

I agree that garbage is nothing while recycling fills up two pails each week. It looks like I'll need to purchase two more cans.

Also, what about plastic bags? The recycling notice I got from the village states that we should collect them and return them to the store. Has anyone done that yet? Do they take Ziploc bags and dry-cleaner's bags, cereal box inserts, etc. too or will those wind up in the landfill. I used to be sure to put them in my recycling but now it appears they are no longer welcome there. We do pay for garbage pick up don't we?

$4.55/gal for diesel... That?s the latest price I remember seeing in our area. $8+ million of debt left behind by the last administration. We are experiencing the same economic constrictions being felt across the country... and the world. If the village was a family?s household, that household might see fit to cutting up their credit cards and curtailing certain luxuries in order to put things back on a sustainable track. In spite of this economic reality, we are also having to deal with the environmental realities of dwindling natural resources and increased CO 2 emissions. Such is life in 2008! We need to splash some cold water on our faces and come to terms with these things. As a community, we can and MUST continue to be vigilant recyclers, despite the increased difficulty to do so. Bemoaning the loss of what can?t be sustained, like convenient weekly pick-ups, does not prepare us for future challenges. We need to frame these issues on a community, rather than an individual, basis.

Rick Gioia