County Isn’t Listening

From "Letters to the Editor," St. Louis Post Dispatch, 2/21/08
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Regarding “27% opt-out of trash districts” : Does Saint Louis County realize what it is saying? When Garry Earls, the county’s chief operating officer, says that if individual residents were allowed to opt-out of the trash districting plan, the plan would not work, What is he thinking?

More than 12% of the subdivisions in Spanish Lake and more than 47% in Oakville asked to opt-out of the “monopoly plan.” Everyone in County government should be listening and making immediate plans to reevaluate. But no - it’s already been decided. With the complicated “rules” for opting out, we will see if any subdivisions are approved.

Mr. Earls says that if a lot of households were allowed to opt out, it would increase the cost of trash service. That tells me that the plan is seriously flawed. Residents should be given the choice. Many residents in both north and south county deliberately are being disenfranchised.

This is not the American way. The goal of easing truck traffic and encouraging recycling can be handled in simpler, better ways. Other cities and states are doing amazing things with recycling. St. Louis County is hitting residents with sledgehammers to make politicians and big corporation’s rich.

. . . . Barbi Diehl, Oakville