The Sedgwick County Commission likely will decide today to continue to charge residents solid waste fees via their property tax bills (something characterized as a transition trash tax when it debuted in 2000, by the way). At least the fees are not scheduled to rise next year, starting at $3.65 per residency. That’s somewhat surprising given that the fee funds the county’s hazardous waste facility, which has seen huge growth in the amount of waste collected.
Some also will recall that the fee was sold in part as a way to promote recycling. And how’s that going? Since 2000, the county reports, daily municipal solid waste disposal has decreased only from 6.97 pounds per person to 5.32 pounds per person last year. Not exactly a smashing success.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
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22 Comments
It’s about education. Other than here on the WE Blog, I don’t recall of seeing anything about recycling in print or televised anywhere on a regular basis.
Perhaps award certification to companies who promote and utilize “being green.”
Some token award which allows them to sport a log on their business advertisement.
See here for an image/logo suggestion.
http://republikan.typepad.com/graphics_and_design/2007/06/keeping-wichita.html
log=logo
tis early still :)
I recall a cold day when I helped with the first big recycling event. We collected a lot of material; I was helped by the small child at my side.
Today I have three small children who help me smash cans etc to recycle. They are the sons of that small child.
How about ‘pay-as-you-throw’? Charge me a sliding rate for trash pickup determined by how much I put out there. My savings would more than pay the cost I willingly pay my recycler to pick up the majority of my ‘refuse’
It is about indivduals at least as much as companies, Republican. I remember reading, not long after I first arrived here, that the national average for recycyling was 23% but Sedgwick County was at only 3% (don’t ask how they arrived at those figures).
My own anecdotal evidence supports the lower rate. Even when I lived in rural north Georgia the 10,000-person town’s collector took a wider variety of cardboards, plastics, and glass. My driveway collector will not take glass or plastic bags, so I recycle those in two different locations; I have not yet found anywhere to take opaque plastics or non-corrugated cardboard (maybe a blogger will pass on a tip).
The city/county/contractor/whomever have made it inordinately difficult to recycyle. I’m hardcore about it, so I will; but most will not bother if it’s that difficult.
Bel Aire has an easy recycling program that only costs $4 a month. They even furnish the bags. Paper/cardboard goes in one bag, everything else (glass/plastic/cans) go in the other. I live just 2 miles north of there and recycling isn’t even offered. Newton has recycling, why can’t Wichita or other small towns?
Wichita does have recycling!!
In fact, you have to pay for it, but they reduce your trash charge so it comes out even.
“but they reduce your trash charge so it comes out even.”
When did they start doing that? That is the step both City and County have resisted throughout the two decades I have been involved; including service on the Solid Waste Management Committee.
We call it “pay-as-you-throw”
It’s been that way since I moved here in July 2002.
What trash hauler do you use?
Why recycle if there is no market for the product?
It is way past time for someone to come up with a local USE for waste paper, cardboard, wood, lumber, plastic, glass etc.
Actually, my Boyscout troop, 40 years ago, recycled TONS of newspaper. We had a trailer at a College Hill church that was always full every week.
Also, when at WSU, my fraternity paid a couple of pennys above the going rate for aluminum, just so we could win a “recycle” contest there. We paid people for there aluminum cans, then resold the cans.
I believe the “success” of recycling can be gaged by the fact that prices, today, for those raw products, aren’t much different from where they were, years ago. (I am sure someone will correct me if I am wrong.)
My point?
There isn’t much market for raw, recycled material.
The supply has pretty much risen to the point of current demand.
Doesn’t it WASTE resources, fuel, labor etc, to seperate out our trash, if nobody wants it afterwards?
I am reminded of a picture from a California dump, back when Sedgwick County enacted this tax.
There was a pile of green plastic. There was a pile of clear plastic. There was a pile of brown glass. There was a pile of clear glass.
There was also a plow pushing dirt over the entire heep of trash!
Government needs to encourage a USE for some of this stuff. Yes, we make wood mulch. Yes, we have had some, limited success with reused plastic for construction purposes.
Glass, especially, is “dirt cheap” and the value of recycling glass is dubious at best.
How about a tax credit for manufacturers that make use of this stuff?
Also, space for landfills is PLENTYFULL. Landfill citing is more of a political than an environmental problem.
Should we not concentrate on HAZARDOUS waste?
By the way, tax exempt properties are sent this trash tax, just like everyone else. The County claimed, back when it started, that it was NOT a tax. Great, then you should not deduct it on your IRS return.However, MANY locations that would NOT ordinarily receive a property tax bill, like churches, fire stations and charities, now receive this bill.I remember asking if the Sheriff would put McConnell Airforce Base on auction, at a “tax sale” if they did not pay!(If not a “tax” how can we compell payment from anyone, under tax law rules?)
Anyway, the point remains, this tax/fee costs money to implement. It was sold has having NO collection costs, since it would “piggy back” on top of current tax bills.
Not true.
Much of the “income” from charitables, churches, and governments is eaten up by the mailing and printing costs to entities that would NOT, ordinarily, receive a property tax bill at all.
This was a dumb idea from the start.
there their, in a hurry today
Del sol,I don’t live in Wichita. I have inquired of our trash collector, but they don’t offer it. I DID take some stuff yesterday to the Pro-Kansas recycling place.
Another point:
If this was a project the County felt strongly about, it should have been funded from General Revenue through a mill levy increase.
Instead, we are mailing out thousands and thousands of bills to churches, charities, fire stations, government offices, etc. This paper would not be needed if NOT for this trash tax.
All of that paper will end up someplace, won’t it?
In order to handle our waste, government is producing MORE waste!
A big THANK YOU needs to go to Margaret and Paul Miller for continuing to sponsor the WASTE CONTROL AND RECYCLING COALITION to promote recycling in Sedgwick County. Their small group of enthusiastic members meets second Mondays at East Heights Methodist Church. Visitors welcome. They meet at noon so bring a sandwich.Margaret generally invites interesting speakers.
Margaret Miller often volunteers at the circular information desk in lobby of the downtown library in mornings. Good place to stop by if you have questions.
Their Recycling Coalition has established an actual recycling site called PRO KANSAS: MILLER RECYCLING CENTER at 725 E. Clark, about a mile southeast of downtown Wichita.
The Recycling Center takes a long list of items. Some EXCEPTIONS are window glass, styrofoam, non-container plastics, and hazardous household wastes.
Call Roger Lyon, manager at 269-1359, with questions or to volunteer there.
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The SEDGWICK COUNTY HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE FACILITY is another good place to get to know. It is located at 801 S. Stillwell in the County’s Public Works Complex near South Seneca. Easy way to get there is to drive one or two blocks south of West High School (660-7464).
This hazardous waste facility accepts a variety of automotive wastes, garden/garage stuff, household cleaners and out-dated pharmaceuticals. In return, you can sometimes trade for a free quart of paint, etc.
I recently took them one of the new flourescent light bulbs, burned out, shaped like a coiled spring because these bulbs contain mercury. They ship these bulbs in bulk to Phoenix, Arizona for disposal. Its important to keep them out of our landfills so the mercury doesn’t leach into and poison our water supply aquifers.
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Since I’m on a run, I should mention the WICHITA PC RECYCLING CENTER as a good place to take your old PC computer and moniter. An old one was wasting space in my back porch. This company dismantles old computers and ALSO sells and repairs used computers. Brian Jones and Marvin Ebersole told me they are considering accepting TV’s but not sure if they have started this yet.A minimal charge applies, I believe it was $4, to offset charges to them by the State of Kansas … wouldn’t you know it? Questions, call 448-0433.
They are located at 4710 W. Central, on north side of Central, a few blocks west of West Street.
Happy Recycling all.
Thanks, JWink!!!
Is there anywhere to take styrofoam for recycling? Some packing/mailing businesses might take them but I don’t know which ones.
JWink:I took a computer to ProKansas yesterday…no charge!
Interesting topic but I see it as a problem for those of the lower financial classes.They are non-participating, have no interest and no education on improvements for their situation.The concept of recycling does not appeal to the lower classes when they are told that it will cost them money.Should we add to the topic of recycling with neighbor blight, causes and reasons behind it?
I’m one of those “lower” classes and it works out fine for me. I recycle so much that I generate about one grocery size bag of trash a week. As a result I don’t subscribe to trash service because there’s no point paying over $200 a year for disposing of a tiny bit of trash while people paying the same amount overflow on their containers.
Maybe if people had to pay their trash rates based upon volume then recycling rates would go up (so would illegal dumping which already goes on and is ignored by the city).
Whoops! That is neighborhood blight.
Wiseman,I disagree. Although I am not poor, I am not in an upper class financially either. Recycling has always been the right thing to do. I know lots of ‘higher end’ folks who think nothing of buying and disposing of copious amounts of bottled water, sodas and libations.
Doug: I noticed your question about where to take styrofoam for recyling. Seems like that question was asked at our last “Waste control/recycling coalition” meeting at which Roger Lyon was the speaker.
So, I suggest you call Roger Lyon at 269-1359 to ask him where to take styrofoam for recycling. I believe he doesn’t accept styrofoam but probably knows if anyone does.