Reader comments
Spanish Fork Council OKs curbside recycling

I recently moved to Utah from the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. I am surprised that in Utah cities, recycling is optional and entails an additional charge to the homeowner. In Virginia, recycling mandatory and there is no cost to the homeowner. Failure to recycle (e.g., having items that should be recycled in the trash) could result in a fine. Recycling was a money-making enterprise for the community.

Charging a fee is a disincentive to recycle. Can someone explain the Utah business model to me in concise language. Virginia communities made significant income from recycling which reduced charges for other services.

When I lived in Bluffdale a couple of years ago recycling was free. I doubt there will be 2,000 volunteers willing to pay $80 per year. If it can't pay for itself with a little profit for the city, it doesn't make sense.

Unfortunately there is still lots of room in that big landfill down by Price where trainloads of trash end up everyday. Consequently it's cheaper to throw stuff away than recycle. Only when we get sick from drowning our land resources in our effluent will it be "cost-effective" to recycle, never mind the cost we inflict on our land and water resources.