New Recycling Policies for Seattle

There seems to be a few problems about Seattle's new recycling policies, at least as according to news coverage interviewing Seattleites. The biggest problem, as illustrated by news coverage, seems to be the "threat" of policing of garbage cans. If someone is not following the plans and recycling as instructed, the garbage will not be taken. The biggest complaint(s) in interviews with "ordinary people" seemed to be that people felt forced to recycle. One woman claimed that she already did all that she could to "help" because she was riding the bus instead of driving, but that she would follow the new recycling rules because she didn't have any other choice.

I think that policing is an unfortunate yet realistic need in ensuring that recycling is happening. I hate to admit it and will usually do it when no one is looking, but I'll dig through someone's garbage to pull out recyclables from their trash to put in recycling when it's possible. The idea of policing isn't even an immediate enforcement policy, but one that may be enacted later on down the road. If policing of people's trash is used at some point, it should hopefully only be necessary for a short while until people develop the habit of sorting out their garbage and recyclables properly. After that, it should just be the habit and people will no longer have to consciously think about it, but it's forming that habit that might take some policing. I think it's a necessary evil and don't even really think of it as an evil.