Every so often, I see little notes on the recycle cans of mine or my neighbors. These little nastygrams inform us that we have placed something in the can that cannot be recycled. The list of items that we can’t recycle is much larger than the list of acceptable items.
There appears to be a limited amount of sorting that can be done at the recycling facility; makes sense, good help is hard to find everywhere. With the relocation of the prison to across the freeway from the landfill, we have a great opportunity. Having the incarcerated sort the recycling would reap many benefits beyond the obvious of being able to recycle more materials. Paying them a wage that is reasonable — after accounting for the free room and board that they already receive — so they have money after their release, job training to gain employment after their time is served, and providing a place to serve their time outside of their cell would be good for their mental health.
The benefits greatly outweigh the costs and potential pitfalls and we should call upon our elected officials to make this happen.
Blake Troester, Murray