Blown away

Posted by Katharine Wroth at 2:55 PM on 24 Mar 2005

Read more about: Chicago | recycling | waste

With a drop in recycling rates, Chicago is wondering: how come no one cares anymore? The city's "blue bag" program, introduced in 1995, sells bags for recyclables that are collected alongside regular trash. Last year, 90,000 tons filtered through, compared to 126,000 in 2000.

The Chicago Tribune reports that Mayor Richard Daley says it's not working because Chicagoans are apathetic. (Way to inspire 'em, Dick!) Critics, meanwhile, say the method is inconvenient, the bags break, and people think their goods -- and goodwill -- are just bound for the trash compactor. Oh yeah, and much of the waste has been recycled right into a field in Indiana.

One Chicago TV station offers an interesting comparison between recycling in the Windy City and the Big Apple. How's it going in your neck of the woods?

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Da Great City U' Chicaga

I grew up under the old Mayor Daley, who ruled until he died in office in 1976. It seems that little if anything of significance has changed, except that his son does seem to have shed his father's racism. Katharine Wroth doesn't get the problem here, implying that it's that Daley failed to inspire Chicagoans. Read the articles. The problem is the usual Chicago one: nepotism and cronyism. Daley gave the contract to one of his buddies' companies. In turn, his buddy tries to illegitimately charge people for recycling bags (what an environmentally idiotic idea anyway, these throw away bags just create more garbage). Additionally, the program is administered by the Streets and Sanitation Department which, along with the Chicago Park District, is the most corrupt agency in the city. (For those who don't understand Chicago politics or Tammany Hall, this situation is not explainable. All I can say is that when I last lived in Chicago in 1983, a job in either of these agencies would set a person up for life.)

Jeff Hoffman

by jdhlax at 3:40 PM on 28 Mar 2005

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