My rage about the trash situation in St Louis County only became more outrageous when I read Phil Sutin’s column this morning concerning the efforts by state legislators to modify the program.  

When those ugly barrels/containers were pitched onto our lawns several weeks ago, I called the county information line to find out when this plan was to go into effect and I asked several questions that had bothered me about the situation.  Calling the information line is akin to calling a cat–there is absolutely no response.  I guess that when they do not wish to speak to county residents, they simply activate their voice mail. When I begin questioning the woman who finally answered, I was told that this was a mandate by the state to stop filling up the landfills.   Sutin’s column appears to refute that assertion, as do the legislators interviewed for the article

Then when I asked, why, if I recycle papers and aluminum cans by taking them to a local church school and plastic bags to a supermarket bin, will I still be expected to pay for recycling.  Now there’s a case of doublespeak if I ever heard one.  The woman (she characterized herself as a volunteer) told me that it is just as expensive for the hauler to stop at my house as at the next house, because I certainly would have some trash that had to be recycled, and it still would have to be sorted by someone. 

Then I said, “the schools get paid now for the recycling efforts,so how will the schools be reimbursed, since they use the money for educational purposes and we have heard nothing about trash haulers returning any money to them.”  I didn’t get an answer.

In a time and place where the term “trash hauler” is synonymous with graft/corruption/crime, I would like to know precisely how the contracts are let and who we can count on being re-elected time and time again because of waste haulers contributions to election campaigns.

Who manipulates these situations wherein promises of money going to schools from the gambling boats is rhetoric and taking money from schools by removing recycling bins is simply another way of extracting campaign funds. 

Ruth Karraker

St. Louis County