George,

City Council candidate Kevin Lynch wants to get rid of trash stickers and claims that "education" will do a better job at increasing recycling than the stickers. I disagree. The financial incentive created by the sticker fee is much more effective at encouraging recycling than ads and flyers. One way that could significantly increase the amount of material that is recycled would be to add plastic, mixed paper, and cardboard to the list of items being recycled.

Lynch also claims that the "high transaction costs" of the city's trash sticker program uses up the money produced by the sale of stickers. Sticker sales produce $440,000.00 in revenue. The cost of printing the stickers is about $5,000.00. Not one position was created when the program was adopted and no one would be laid off if it is eliminated. It's ridiculous to suggest that it costs $440,000.00 to administer the program. If stickers are eliminated, property taxes will have to make up for the lost money.

The trash sticker program is unpopular because people don't like the hassle of buying them. This is a minor nuisance that is not necessary. Annual trash can decals are available through the mail so residents should also be able to order and pay for the stickers through the monthly utility bill. The sticker program treats trash pickup like a utility. Users pays a fee that is proportional to their use. It makes sense. Why should those of us who recycle have to pay more in taxes to subsidize the wasteful?

Originally, the money produced by the stickers was supposed to be 50% of the city's cost of refuse collection. It's 42% now because sticker prices haven't kept pace with rising disposal costs. The City Council should increase the fees and work to find a way to include the cost in the utility bills. An increase won't hurt the poor who already get free stickers from the city. Though not perfect, the stickers encourage people to take responsibility for their trash while simultaneously reducing the need for increased property taxes to pay for higher refuse collection costs.

Kevin Cox (kevinc@cstone.net, electronic mail, April 9, 2000).