This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
I'd like to focus on the recycling programs that are coming to our cities. Our city leaders have decided that they are going to automatically sign us up for a curbside recycling program. We must put a stop to this!
Recycling is something that we all should be doing, but to be forced to do it is like adding another tax to every household in the community. Why can't we make these decisions for ourselves? Let the private sector do curbside recycling.
Unfortunately, Kaysville, Farmington, Centerville, West Point, Sunset, North Salt Lake and Bountiful already have recycling programs where you are automatically enrolled unless you actively choose to opt out.
At a recent Fruit Heights City Council meeting, the city manager suggested that the city subsidize the cost of curbside recycling for the next two years, using a "surplus" in the garbage budget to keep the price under $4 a month. He would rather use tax dollars to subsidize a nonessential service, which is already being provided by the private sector.
Leave the private sector alone. Small businesses are the lifeline of our community. Let's help them grow, instead of making them compete with the government.
Chris Semrow
Syracuse