--- Tom & Elsa Thompson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: "I like to be able to choose my refuse hauler. I choose a small mom and pop company ..."
Yes, but this "every man is an island" approach imposes costs on society that are not reflected in what you pay your hauler. Increased noise, street damage, pollution, etc. are part of the price we pay for organizing out garbage collection in the most inefficient way possible. John Birrenbach, after arguing for a voluntary, neighbor-to-neighbor approach, made a pretty convincing case for why that wouldn't work I thought. Chuck Repke raised a concern that contracts let by the city would be transferred to the big boys; Waste Management or BFI. If that's a problem, there's no reason the contracts can't be negotiated to be non-transferable and terminable upon a change in ownership. As for the concern that city contracts would require union wages, I should think that a more efficient collection system would allow drivers to be paid decent wages without increasing what we now pay. The idea of having the city arrange for garbage collection doesn't seem like a radical idea to me. Most cities don't do it the way we do after all. What about the recycling end of this problem? The city didn't leave it up to individuals to arrange for their own pick up of recyclable garbage. The time has come to end the present wasteful, annoying collection system we now have. Charlie Swope St. Paul _____________________________________________ To Join: St. Paul Issues Forum Rules Discussion Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] _____________________________________________ NEW ADDRESS FOR LIST: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, modify subscription, or get your password - visit: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/stpaul Archive Address: http://www.mnforum.org/mailman/private/stpaul/
