Yesterday I attended my Home Owners Association board meeting as I try to do on occasion. For those of you who haven’t had the pleasure, living in a condo has its pros and cons. I would say the HOA is a definite con.

Anyway, I managed to make it to the last item on the agenda without pissing anybody off. Don’t scoff, that is a real achievement for me. I dutifully kept my mouth shut as my wife requested. My career didn’t exactly develop negotiation and compromise skills in me. A guy with a uniform, gun and handcuffs and 4000 members of a law enforcement gang backing him up doesn’t have to listen to the other side. He might pretend just to humor you but in the end...well like I said , handcuffs.

But everything was going just to smooth. The last item was recycling, and the board secretary clears her throat and starts in. “I want to address the board about the county shutting down its recycling center. Where am I going to get rid of my recyclables? I think it is incumbent on everyone to recycle. I feel it’s no less of a duty than voting.”

I bit my tongue. And I almost thought I made it when they started talking about mandating everyone pay an extra $20/ mo. For a large blue bin that I can’t even fit in my garage yet I’m required to have it there. Then they started discussing putting a dumpster in the community that would attract bees and bears and people ....some would toss crap in and some would scatter crap across the streets and lawns.

I have done some organized crime crime investigations in my day and it is no secret the mob loves waste removal companies. And recycling is not a regulated activity. In essence, there is little reason to believe your recyclables make it to a new product and quite frankly a guarantee that 1/3 of it goes to the landfill.

In fact, plastic is no longer a viable candidate for recycling. Neither is cardboard. It actually is worse for the environment to recycle these due to the “carbon footprint” needed to process them. And I said so. Yes, out loud. You would have thought I just stepped outside and shot the neighbors dog.

Now dont get me wrong. If you want to recycle....as long as I’m not footing the bill, knock yourself out. And so that is what we agreed to. She could negotiate with the trash company to take her recyclables to wherever they take them and she can pay them the outrageous fees. Hey, if it makes her sleep well at night.....

http://www.plasticpollutioncoalition...hink-recycling