Letter to the editor: Recycling should be a responsibility of everyone, and everyone should pay for it

Concerning the story on recycling on Muddy River News, the number of people interested in the topic who attended the meeting doesn’t count those of us who watched it on TV at home.  I couldn’t make it to the council chambers, but fortunately I could watch it “live” on (Xfinity Cable) Channel 15, so I got to see most of it.

One message I got from this was, “Contact your alderperson,” which I did. Both of them voted to oppose the proposed recycling ordinance. I am not sure if my comments to them had any influence, but it never hurts to try.  

Recycling should be a responsibility of everyone, and everyone should pay via the sewer and water fees.  The $5 assessment should have been added to the utilities bill versus what they did. Also, the city should have never allowed private haulers, unless they went to all private haulers and the private haulers were charged what it will take to repair the damage these large vehicles cause to our streets and alleys.

The city allowed private haulers the option to take the “cream of the crop” garbage hauling, and now the city has a hard time paying for everything. The city and alderpeople need to return to not allowing private haulers and get back to doing what a municipality the size of Quincy needs to do, which is handle trash and recycling. If it means increasing the utilities fee, so be it, but everyone should pay for it.

The decision to set up recycling sites will most likely spell the end to recycling, with the result that we will fill up our landfill. Years from now, folks will be asked to pay for a new landfill.  

John Gebhardt
Quincy, Illinois