Recycling likely to be trashed

Aug. 11 will be the last day for the monthly recycling program.

By Charles Sercombe
Hamtramck’s monthly recycling program is likely to come to a halt in August.
The city’s Recycling Commission is saying the drop-off program held on the second Saturday of the month will end after Aug. 11. The commission submitted a guest editorial to The Review, which appears on page 5 of this issue, that lays out the reasons why the program will end.
The short answer is the group needs more volunteers to help man the outdoor drop-off site, and there is a need for someone to take over organizing the project.
Members of the commission will make a presentation at the June 12 city council meeting.
“If you believe that the City of Hamtramck should have a recycling program we encourage you to talk with your friends and neighbors and to contact the Acting City Manager, Kathy Angerer, Mayor Karen Majewski and the members of City Council,” the commission said in its guest editorial.
City officials have said that getting a company to perform curbside recycling is not possible. That’s because recycled items no longer produce an income for companies.
Others say it takes more energy to collect and recycle items than it is worth.
The answer, some say, is to cut down on the use of plastic and the amount of packaging that goes into consumer items.
Some countries in Europe are already reducing the amount of plastic in the waste stream.

June 1, 2018