Emanuel to ask residents to pay $9.50 monthly Chicago garbage bill?

[Chan790]

109. I'm actually supportive of per-unit/item pricing for trash disposal...

as long as recycling and composting are free. I also think municipalities should offer for-charge collection of dangerous items (everything from kerosene to old electronics or refrigerators) for proper disposal.

I think it's a forward-thinking solution which acts to encourage better environmental stewardship and social behavior. It does a great deal to make people think about what they are throwing away and how it could be re-purposed or how their waste could be cut. Beyond the cost of garbage trucks and municipal employees, there are actual fiscal and environmental costs to trash. When you make people pay for trash, they try to generate less trash and some among them will pursue methods to actively-reduce their trash footprint. (For example, I make conscientious decisions to buy items with less packaging or compost-able packaging over non-compost packaging.)

I might go so far as to say it's both the responsible and the socially-progressive solution to a very real American trash problem.