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In our recycle-compost-landfill conundrum, we all lose out, paying the price in hauling fees and costs to the environment ("Minnesota's biggest landfill may get bigger," Dec. 3). The complexity and bounty of product manufacturing, selling and shipping make waste disposal problems exceedingly frustrating. Our communities — consumers, manufacturers, and trash removal services — bear an enormous, trash-heavy burden. Yes, we bring our own bags to the store, we re-use, we recycle. It's a start, we keep saying. But why are always stuck at the beginning of this problem?
Trash to landfills includes an inordinate amount of product packaging, my particular bugaboo. As consumers, we can force a manufacturer's hand by not buying a certain product due to packaging issues or by not hiring a hauling service that has not proven its recycling efforts. However, making such choices requires accurate information, which currently is often lacking, confusing or inconsistent. For example, how do I know what a hauler is separating, selling or dumping? How do I make sense of the myriad packaging types that may or may not be recycled, that may or may not be sold to a buyer who can repurpose and resell it? Where do I find an alternative product tied up in twine instead of enshrouded in cardboard or hard plastic?
I am confused by recycling and other waste issues, and even though I consult my county's and my hauler's websites, I still have a lot of questions. Can we require businesses and households to abide by regulations? Do manufacturers already pay for package disposal? If the landfill forces haulers to abide by its rules and they don't, should the hauler be penalized? If the hauler and recycling center force customers to abide by their rules and they don't, should the individual customer be penalized for the amount of time it takes to get that household's refuse landfill-ready?
I hope we will be able to reduce the complexity of the solution so individuals will have an easier time complying with regulations that do exist. I don't have answers. But I only see a way out of this if all the players upstream and downstream have provided accessible, complete and accurate information. That's what I need to do my part, which should include much more than answering "Paper or plastic?" with "I brought my own bag."
Marie Ward, West St. Paul
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