[Winona Online Democracy] Hi all,
There's one more reason not to burn paper...... it's extremely recyclable! And there's no fee attached when you do so. [I'm going into my educator mode now, with a bit more detail than you might expect or prefer, but I hope you'll read on.] The present market reality is that the more paper, magazines, catalogs and cardboard that is put out on the curbside, and in the recycling sheds that serve the townships, the less likely it is that the fees on garbage bills will have to be raised some time in the future. While paper fiber has not always been in great demand nationwide, that changed in a big way in the last few years. Minnesota's paper mills are in real need of recycled fiber coming out of programs like ours (where the fiber is not contaminated by being collected together with glass and other containers in a single stream). In fact, mills have trucked paper in from as far away as Indiana because they can't get enough from within Minnesota. Thus the market value of fiber has risen, and in the past year revenue from the sale of the fiber described above has reduced recycling program costs by some 15%. So please, don't burn that fiber, we want it! Though there isn't a way to avoid the 10% fee on garbage bills when you act responsibly by disposing of your garbage through a hauler, there is a way to lessen its impact. If you do as Paul recommended and compost all your food waste, and then recycle all you can at the curbside and recycling sheds, the amount of garbage you are left with will be small. So small, in fact, that you'll be able to get a "bag" rate from your garbage hauler, and substantially reduce your garbage bill. Lots of folks do this, by the way. In a real sense the 10% garbage fee is a sliding scale fee, based not on ability to pay, but on behavior. It has been proven to be an effective way to increase waste reduction, reuse and recycling. Anne Morse Winona County Recycling Coordinator -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, January 31, 2005 3:11 PM To: Online Democracy Subject: FW: [Winona] don't burn paper Linda & Others As a now city resident I now get to pay the fees but for the record my roof is ballasted with stone and my chimney has a particulate screen. I would however offer the following alternate recycled uses for old newspapers. Wrapping your authentic English Style Fish & Chips to absorb the grease and Malt Vinegar. Use them for packing fragile items for mailing packages to friends. It makes disposal their problem, recycles them one more time and eliminates those aggravating peanuts but less is fun than popcorn. Hats - I'm sure the guys in the press room of the newspapers can provide great prototypes. Paul Double Sent: Monday, January 31, 2005 2:05 PM Subject: [Winona] don't burn paper [Winona Online Democracy] As the wife of a volunteer fireman, please*** do NOT burn paper in your fireplace or furnace! it is very dangerous. Little embers of paper will drift up and out and could start your roof on fire. Linda Fort > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------- I can compost my garbage without a fee Burn my papers in my fireplace or furnace without a fee Haul the metal or newspaper to a recycling center that pays me Own a pet without a fee Own and ride a bicycle without a fee Have Xcel power without a fee Have Cable TV Service without a fee Park my car without a fee Water usage without a fee Sewer usage without a fee Use a park without a fee All I have to do to enjoy these fee less opportunities is to live in most townships. Paul Double Sent: Monday, January 31, 2005 8:14 AM I believe the list of government fees where there is NO choice is much longer than a list of those where there is a choice. In fact, I can't think of any that provide a real freedom of choice. There may be a few but I just can't think of any. For example, to avoid the garbage recycling fees I could stop having my garbage picked up and I could stop owning property -- but I'd still be paying indirectly via rent. I could stop paying the cable or gas/elec. utilities local taxes by stopping those services - but is that real choice. Craig Brooks Tom Severson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: I agree fee's are hidden taxes, but what I like about them is they allow us to choose the services we want and make the people in general realize this is not a gift from government. This makes the government provider responsible to the user. If it is over priced the user will not use it. Granted low income people don't have the money, possibly there is a way to provide them the money This serves to teach management of money and gives those low income people the chance to prove they are able to manage their own destiny. RESPECT FOR ALL PEOPLE IS IMPORTANT. People Are Good _______________________________________________ This message was posted to Winona Online Democracy All messages must be signed by the senders actual name. No commercial solicitations are allowed on this list. To manage your subscription or view the message archives, please visit http://mapnp.mnforum.org/mailman/listinfo/winona Any problems or suggestions can be directed to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] If you want help on how to contact elected officials, go to the Contact page at http://www.winonaonlinedemocracy.org
