The Search for Nicole

Can You Believe It?

New York City (population 8.2 million within an area of 321 square miles) does NOT have a mandatory recycling program.

I admit that I am kinda obsessed with recycling (I alert the media when I find a soda can in the garbage) but a city the size of New York with a "suggested" recycling program is a CRIME!!! Isn't this the city that had problems with WHERE to put their garbage? I remember when a barge was stuck out in the Hudson River because they had no place for disposal. Hmmm.... and THAT was in the 90s.

Ok, so NYC HAS a full recycling program, apparently nobody cares to actually recycle. I cringed when I had to put my water bottle in with the "real" garbage- the garbage that already contained newspapers, many Starbucks cups and other plastic containers and bottles. I nearly brought all of my recyclables home to Portland so as not to contribute to the insanity. (In fact, after I wrote this, I went home and unpacked and I HAD brought my empty travel-size shampoo bottle home with me.)

Am I missing something here? Is it DIFFICULT to use two separate containers for waste? Does it not help our environment? If all those items WEREN'T in the landfill, how is that NOT worth it? Is it not economically feasible for some reason? My very conservative "hometown" in South Dakota has a mandatory program in place and the population there is only 62,167. What does that say about you, New York?

This is just plain unacceptable. Attention New Yorkers: your taxes will go up LESS if you do your part to recycle.... think of it as one extra pair of fancy shoes per year.

http://www.nrdc.org/cities/recycling/gnyc.asp#tips

posted by nicole @ 3:22 PM