Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Ald. Shiller: New Apartments Must Have Space Set Aside For Recycling

Check out the Tribune here for the full story. Might we suggest a recycling bin setup like the one shown above?

23 comments:

  1. You forgot the one for campaign cash!

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  2. But, Jason, that NEVER gets recycled! It all stays in one place...

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  3. No it gets, "recycled" ;-)

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  4. Another government "Do as I say, not as I do" mandate.

    Next they will want us to pay our taxes even when they don't...oh wait..

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  5. "It's very difficult, right now, to actually comply with that ordinance, give that there is minimal space," Flores said

    No way. Never saw this coming.

    When you see that regulation train coming, don't get on board when see the captain of it is Chairman of the Finance Committee.

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  6. Ummm, my six flat had to comply with the ordinace, and we just put a blue recycling tote next to our dumpster. It was very easy to do. The building to our north, and the building to our south did the same thing.

    Of course, this ordinace means we're going to need some "recycling inspector" on the city payrolls. I bet Das Fuhrer Shiller has a nephew or someone in need of a six figure job, and this is a great way to get him one(or maybe its a neice, I'm not trying to be sexist, everyone can be a pig at the trough)

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  7. Although I think recycling is a good thing I really don't want my City Government shoving it down our throats in a time when the economy is very tight.

    I just got my tax bill based on the high real estate prices.

    I wish all the Alderman would actually find ways for the City to function more efficiently then come up with all these new programs.

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  8. I wish Ald. Shiller would start addressing the violence in her own neighborhood -- two people shot on the very block her office is on and not a peep from the alderman -- instead of living in her lalala EcoFantasyland. Every time there's a murder in Uptown, she comes out with a new "green" plan. Talk about fiddling while Uptown burns.

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  9. Hooray. It's about time. This city makes it so hard to recycle - something other large cities seem to do without drama. The failure of the blue bag - or just the blue bag effort in general is a tragety.

    Recycling shoved down our throats? Hardly. Social responsibility doesn't cost much.

    All issues are not related and its a fantasy to think that ignoring small projects will contribute to anti-violence.

    Government isn't that simple. Not pro Shiller at all, but the first step to understanding her misuse of government is know how government works.

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  10. I'm with TrumanSquareNabr on this one...Shiller obviously does not know how to prioritize. I can help her, if she likes:

    1) Violence/Homicide
    2) Theft/Burglary
    3) Drugs/Prostitution
    4) Local Economy
    5) Environmental Causes
    6) Social Services

    I think some of those are interchangeable, but you get the gist...

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  11. After the blue bag fiasco, I should be forgiven from being extremely wary of anything that the city does with regards to recycling.

    From my vantage, the only "green" that interests Daley or Shiller is the kind that can be folded.

    While I'm all for a healthy environment, I'm not a big fan of the exploitation of it.

    I'm with TSN, I think Helen would better serve her constituency by going after policies which reduce the amount of "red" in our streets.

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  12. Sunnyside ... so true!! Of course I am appalled at the violence in Uptown and I think Shiller is Evil with a capital E. But what does that have to do with our Eco Responsibility?

    I am very happy for any measures taken to increase recycling and make it easier and more like the "norm" instead of the exception.

    I live in a courtyard builing in Uptown and I don't think anyone in the building recycles. At least back when we had 'blue bags', I NEVER saw one blue bag in our dumpster - other than my own. I know they are all too lazy because when I brought it up at condo board meeting, I asked if we could get a blue cart and I was, of course, shot down.
    It just blows my mind that they do not care at all. I'm not the biggest and best eco-minded person, but I try to do my small part and I wish others would do the same. Now since the blue bag program ended, I have to take my recyclables down to the park. I would love it if my building had a blue cart in the alley.

    Very timely that this was posted today. Did anyone see the story on ABC this a.m. about the huge swirl of garbage in the Pacific Ocean?

    http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Story?id=5524886&page=1

    If you can look at that (or any landfill for that matter) and not be moved to recycle, then I'm just at a loss for words.

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  13. I'm in an eight flat, and we actually reduced our scavenger costs by switching from one normal size dumpster to one half size dumpster and a half size recycling dumpster. Its definitely worth looking into.

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  14. Anything to cost us more money to live in this over priced City.

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  15. "Recycling shoved down our throats? Hardly. Social responsibility doesn't cost much. "

    No but hypocrisy seems to cost us quite a bit. We recycle in our home without big brother telling us to do so. Imagine that, a world where people access situations and make responsible decisions. But your right, we need more government rules. I need a gold Al Gore star!

    Helen should read this and get back on point...

    http://www.cnsnews.com/Public/Content/article.aspx?RsrcID=42474

    If she wants to recycle she should get out there with a pitch fork and a smile and start picking up Uptown. What properties have the most liter and garbage surrounding them??? Hmmm..I'll save that for another day.

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  16. I might add I bet if someone wasn't getting a pay off or kickback Shiller won't be for this at all.

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  17. now is not the best time to support the economics of recycling since the market has just about bottomed... but in some cases it is still more cost effective to recycle instead of landfill, and recyclers have the incentive to divert waste rather than pay tipping fees at the fill. and as soon as the economy turns around and manufacturing starts gathering steam again, that will be much more often the case.

    So I second Ray, it's worth looking into at least.

    Yes it's hypocritical of Helen... but can we be a little positive for just one second?

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  18. NO WE CAN NEVER BE POSITIVE. ARE YOU INSANE?????? ;-)

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  19. We started recycling around the time the Blue Bins came out and it amazes me how many trips I now take to the bins Vs the regular garbage. I break down every box and stomp on every carton to condense the recycled trash.

    Half the time I end up throwing out the garbage not because it is full but because the smell gets so bad.

    What I don't get is this........I don't see how this program would be able to handle everyone recycling?

    Our building has 2 gigantic bins for trash and one small blue bin. I myself have way more recyclables than regular trash. On a regular basis both of our bins are completely filled with trash (many of those items could be recycled) If all the people in my building recycled we would easily need to replace one of the regular bins with a recycle bin, or at least 1 bin for every family which would not fit in the space at all. I have a hard time believing the city would be able to handle every single person recycling through a pick up service for several years.

    One problem is having people break the habit of throwing everything away, something people have been doing for generations. Some people just don't like change. Others just need to learn how to break down a damn box. It amazes me how many people throw away garbage and recyclables and don't break down the boxes. If that process is not common sense than its symptom is pure laziness. Another issue is that some people just don't care, at all, and never will.

    If Shiller is this focused on forcing people to recycle, maybe she could use the same Aldermanic mojo to force people not to shoot at one another. Oh wait, "it's not her problem".

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  20. Recycle all you want on your own. Then post a craigslist ad with a description of the location where your recycled goods are located.

    Scavengers will come and take away your recycled material for no cost. If the bins bill up faster than the scavengers can remove the material, take it to the recycling center yourself.

    We're punishing very good markets with our government intervention. Yes, a lot of people want to recycle. But a lot of people don't care about it. We're never going to coerce everyone to do it.

    Allow the market to develop for these valuable recycled goods and all will be better than whatever the machine can create.

    Before government intervened in the recycled goods market in Illinois it was quite healthy. The waste management industry - unions everywhere, organized crime right behind them - hired some good lobbyists to take this market from the hidden hand of justice.

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  21. I used to feel bad about the way recycling was handled in Chicago, but then I saw a piece on 60 Minutes about how China was buying American garbage for the recyclables because they have fewer resources than we do. What do you know, they said a lot of it came from Chicago!

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  22. I think this just reflects what happens when you've got a lack of faith and no transparency with your government. Helen's motives may be purely benign, but experience has jaded all of us. Our first assumption is that she's got some way to use this to further her social agenda and/or line her pockets. Its sad things have fallen that far. If someone like JC were to suggest this program, I think we'd all be more supportive.

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  23. Why, oh why, do we break down boxes? Boxes are among the most easily "recyclable" things in the city! For every box you no longer need, there is someone moving in or out of town who needs it for his own use. I leave my "intact" boxes by my dumpster, knowing that they will be put to very good use by a neighbor in no time at all!

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