City was foolish to end recycling

With all due respect to recent calls for civility in public discourse, it’s impossible to consider a recent decision by the Portland Board of Works to eliminate curbside recycling anything but what it is: Foolish.

Let’s do some math together.

Portland residents now pay $4.25 per month for the benefit of curbside recycling.

Under a new contract with Rumpke, the city’s cost for that service will climb to $4.50 in the first year of the agreement.

A quick bit of multiplication tells us that continuing curbside recycling will cost each of the city’s households the princely sum of $3 per year. That would climb to $5.76 per year more by the third year of Rumpke’s contract.

Again, we’re talking about 25 cents to 48 cents more per month over the life of the contract. By any measure, that’s not an onerous burden.

Mayor Randy Geesaman and the board of works have attempted to justify the elimination of curbside recycling based on a decision by the county solid waste district to do away with $10,000 a year allocated to subsidize the program.

But, again, a little math helps clarify the picture.

At the current rate of $4.25 per month, 2,400 Portland households kick in a total of $122,400 per year. 

BestWay’s current contract charges $4.24 per month, and on top of that there’s been the $10,000 a year subsidy. In other words, the program has not just been self-sufficient, it’s been profitable for the city.

Since that subsidy has been provided for years, it’s safe to say there’s enough cushion in place to handle small price increases.

So, why does curbside recycling matter? 

Because things like environmental awareness and homeowner convenience are among the measures of quality of life that companies look at when considering expansion or new ventures.

For 25 years, Portland residents have enjoyed a service that many communities have still not achieved. It has been the subject of envy.

The board of works — unless there is an attack of good sense at city hall or on the part of city council — has decided to take that quality of life benefit away.

There is only one word for a policy decision like that, even in an era when we need greater civility.

The word: Foolish. — J.R.