Recycling discussion upside down

The discussion at Monday’s meeting of the Portland City Council seemed, at times, to be upside down.
If it’s a policy goal of local government to reduce the amount of waste going into the Jay County Landfill, why do Portland residents pay a separate fee for curbside recycling while the costs of trash collection are buried in the city budget and paid for by property taxes?
In other words, why is “tossing things in the trash” the default position?
Shouldn’t it actually be the other way around, with the cost of recycling built into the city budget and fees charged for trash pick-up?
And as long as we’re puzzling over these questions, shouldn’t the implementation of curbside recycling have resulted in a reduction of costs for trash pick-up and landfill fees?
Where have those savings gone? And shouldn’t they be tapped to help pick up the tab for curbside recycling?
This situation didn’t develop overnight. It’s evolved over more than a decade. But as it has evolved, it’s made less and less sense.
Recycling works. It’s a smarter use of resources, and it helps extend the life of the landfill.
Trash collection is a necessity, obviously. It’s a fundamental city service. But by now we’ve reached the time when curbside recycling is just as fundamental. It’s not a luxury, and it shouldn’t carry its own separate fee.
Build the costs of recycling into the city budget, track down the savings that should have resulted from sending less material to the landfill, and recognize that curbside recycling is one of those quality of life issues that sets better communities apart. — J.R.[[In-content Ad]]