STORM2K

By Anna M. Tinsley , StarTelegram Staff Writer

FORT WORTH, Texas - Look out your window this week, and you may see someone digging through your blue recycling cart.

They're not scavenging to cash in on your cans.

They're spot-checking to see if you put the wrong items in the cart -- like hangers, pizza boxes, light bulbs, dry-cleaning bags and motor oil containers.

If you did, they won't empty it.

Instead, they'll put a blue or yellow tag on the cart, giving you one week to fix the problem and remove contaminated items or possibly get fined up to $2,000.

Oh my! :o Have they had a problem with this in the past and now are cracking down? $2,000 seems a little extreme to me.

I wonder when they will start doing something like that where I live? But I would not worry, since I never put any wrong items into my recycling bin.

we have a recycling program here that specifically states what is recyclable and what is not. Recycling is HUGE in Wisconsin especially on campus here.

LMAO, don't ask me why I think this is funny- maybe because $2000 is ridiculous!! Here in Buffalo we are big on recycling and haven't had any problems, but you wouldn't believe the difference only 5 miles away in Davenport! They don't even HAVE a recycling program! You have to PAY to get recycling things picked up, so most people just throw it all away- one of things I could not stand living at my dad's!!! I was so used to recycling, I couldn't get used to throwing it all away!

We have mandatory recycling, but the garbage collectors just take the recycled items and through it into the back of their truck along with the rest of the garbage.

blizzard wrote:We have mandatory recycling, but the garbage collectors just take the recycled items and through it into the back of their truck along with the rest of the garbage.

I saw our driver do that one day. I called and reported it to afriend that works for the local sanitary district. we call him the garbage police. Why go through the work of seperating everything if that's what'll happen

Hmm Blizzard..
If it's a private hauler, and if they charge by weight...
If they're employees of the local authority, then they're just lazy civil servants.

Our township has drop off centers as well as curbside pickup. They do clear and brown/green glass, plastics #1 and #2, steel cans, newspaper and cardboard boxes.

Improper items contaminate the load and reduce its market value. The contaminates have to be hand picked out of the rest. Talk about labor intensive!

In order for recycling to work, people have to cooperate.

We have drop-off stations for newspaper, cardboard, aluminum, plastics, and steel cans. I couldn't tell you the number of times I have seen trash in the recycling dumpsters. We have to pay for curbside trash pick-up and some people are just too cheap. I think a $2000 fine would be a great idea.

Update #2 on recycling violations:

City to give trash violators tickets

By Anna M. Tinsley , StarTelegram Staff Writer

FORT WORTH, Texas - This is the last warning: Next time, it's a ticket.

That's the message city officials delivered Tuesday to residents who violate rules for the new trash and recycling program.

Six months into the program, officials say they're beginning a serious crackdown on residents who improperly discard trash, recycling or brush.

"We've had six months of heavily educating people," said Brian Boerner, the city's environmental management director. "Now it's the line in the sand -- it's time to get with the program.

"The time is right."

Until now, officials have usually issued warnings to residents who didn't follow the guidelines.