Dear Editor:
I was saddened, but not surprised, to see the article in the local papers about the City of Moab’s desire to force people to recycle with an added fee of around $13 a month, or $156 per year for waste collection.
In a city that is already expensive, it appears it is likely to get even more expensive. This is not about a lack of other options, since we have a recycling center that up to this point has allowed each of us a choice.
Also, having talked with the manager of the landfill late last year, I know that the current landfill has enough capacity for over 150 years and possibly more with its reasonable amount of land area. While I understand some people don’t like landfills and not everyone recycles, this forced nonessential economic burden calls into question the ideological position of city officials who don’t appear to care about the costs they impose upon the city residents, but rather want to enforce their personal desires on us because this is not an essential need.
We have seen that recycling for many products from Moab isn’t cost effective, but never mind that — now we are being told we will be required to subsidize a business to try to make this happen, but aren’t being told this is likely just the beginning.
Those that have paid garbage fees in the past know they have risen and this will likely cost you much, much more in the future. The recycling center could stay open far into the future allowing us a choice and the current landfill could last at least 150 years.
At some point, a truly good solution will be found; for instance, pushing for all packaging of any sort to be truly biodegradable even in an anaerobic environment.
What shouldn’t happen now is adding to the economic burden of the local citizens for personal desires.
Mike Johnson
Moab
