Talking trash

One of the many services that the county government provides us is trash pickup (and recycling, too). We do pay a trash tax, but it is not related to how much trash we individually produce. No matter how much or how little trash I produce, I essentially bear no additional expense or benefit from any cost savings since the expenses and cost savings are spread over thousands of other taxpayers. Therefore, my only incentive to reduce my trash output is to save the planet. And let’s be honest, that reason alone does not motivate a large number of people to modify their behavior.

If I had to take my trash to a private dump where I was charged by weight or volume I would be much more interested in recycling, composting yard and food waste, and I would be more mindful of the kinds of products that I buy (i.e. I would prefer goods with less packaging). The county government suggests that offering residents plastic recycling containers increases the recycling 25%. Even if that were true (and there is no evidence that it is), it seems minuscule to the environmental benefits that society would get if everyone paid for their own trash removal.

I am sure that many residents would not be jazzed about paying for gas to drive to the dump, so that would only put more downward pressure on how much trash they produce. Or, maybe some neighborhoods would find it efficient to rent a large roll off container like you frequently see at construction sites. Some residents could contract with trash pickup services, but those services would probably be more likely to charge based on the amount of trash they pick up, rather than just raping the county with a flat rate.

Although it is not a sexy idea, privatizing trash removal would make a positive impact on the environment. I would be willing to bet that those who would scream the loudest if trash removal was privatized are the same naive folk who think that the government should spare no expense to end our dependence on fossil fuels.