Recycling Archives - Voice For Liberty

Apr

Recycling debate short on reason

Responses to a news story on recycling indicate that the issue is driven more by emotion and misinformation than reason. Recently I was interviewed by Carla Eckels of KMUW radio for a story titled Recycling: Is It Really Necessary? (Audio is available at that link.) The story was based on my research and opinion that in some cases, recycling is an economically beneficial activity. But for the household setting, it is not. (One point I meant to make, but forgot to, was that how wonderful it is that we have enough wealth that we don't have to recycle household waste.…

Nov

By Bob Weeks

Wichita trash cooperative: gateway to mandatory recycling?

Opposition to a proposed trash pickup cooperative in Wichita focuses mostly on two issues: the free market, and specific problems with the program. Conservative city council members -- Paul Gray and Sue Schlapp in this case -- advocate for a free market in trash collection. I appreciate that. But it is confusing to hear them advocate for a free market in trash collection when at the same time they vote for big-spending economic development programs that don't work. Brent Wistrom's Wichita Eagle article Questions pile up as Wichita eyes trash plan does a fine job of laying out the unanswered…

Nov

By Bob Weeks

Kansas and Wichita quick takes: Monday November 22, 2010

Wichita city council this week. This week is workshop only, meaning that legislative action is limited to consent items. These items are voted on in bulk, unless a council member wants to "pull" an item for separate discussion and voting. Generally consent items are thought to be non-controversial, at least by the person who creates the agenda. This week one consent item may cause a bar to lose its license, as Hurst Laviana reports in the Wichita Eagle. Start time is 9:30 am instead of the usual 9:00 am. Workshop to discuss Wichita trash. Tuesday's Wichita city council meeting will…

Aug

By Bob Weeks

If this is recycling profit, let’s skip it

A letter-writer to the Wichita Eagle states "In Washington state, we participate in a nearly effortless, profitable and environmentally important recycling program." A paragraph later she writes "The cost of recycling is $5 a month on our refuse bill." I don't know: Do these statements contradict each other? The writer also states: "Most important, we take pride in knowing that our recycled items do not end up in some community dump." I say: "In Wichita, it's nice that we aren't yet required by government to spend our precious time handling dirty trash that has no profitable market just to save…

Jun

By Bob Weeks

Sedgwick County solid waste fee criticized

Today's Wichita Eagle column by Rhonda Holman is a two-fer. Two issues for the price of one column, and two issues she's wrong on. The first issue is explained in Wichita water economics. She criticizes Commissioner Karl Peterjohn and Board Chairman Kelly Parks for the opposition of a solid waste management fee that would add a relatively small amount to property tax bills. (When writing about Peterjohn, do I need to disclose that he and I are friends, and that I helped manage his campaign last year? I'd feel more compelled to do so if Holman would start writing editorials…

Mar

By Bob Weeks

Wichita Eagle letter: coal and recycling

A letter in the Wichita Eagle by a Mr. Steve Otto of Wichita (March 16, 2009) makes a few claims that require critical examination. The letter claims that "the rest of the nation is staying away from coal-burning plants." Actual figures present a different story. In the document Tracking New Coal-Fired Power Plants from the National Energy Technology Laboratory, we see there are 28 coal plants under construction, 7 near construction, and 13 that have been permitted. That's a total of 48 plants. Additionally, 47 plants have been announced. Otto also laments Wichita's low participation in recycling, and refers to…

Apr

By Bob Weeks

No Recycling Mandates in Sedgwick County, Please

Remarks delivered at a public hearing for the Sedgwick County solid waste management plan, April 24, 2008. Sedgwick County, Kansas, home to the City of Wichita, is considering a mandatory household recycling program. Or, perhaps people won't be forced to recycle, but they will be required to pay for the cost burden that recycling places on communities. You may listen to this article in audio form by clicking here. The economist Frederich Hayek tells us that the price system communicates all the information we need to know about the relative value of things. The price system allows people who don't…

Apr

By Bob Weeks

Recycle, if you wish

Should we in Wichita or Sedgwick County be forced to recycle? Prices for commodities and goods represent the best available information about the worth of them -- that is, unless the government is manipulating prices. The prices people are willing to pay for recycled goods, therefore, tell us everything we need to know about their worth. These prices tell us that there isn't much worth in most recycled goods. It's not that there aren't markets for recycled goods. About 75% of automobiles are recycled, and used cardboard is often recycled in commercial settings. That's because the price paid for these…