Republic plan stinks

Or perhaps I was mistaken when I thought I saw the guy pour all three of my separated bins into the same place in his recycling truck. That must have been another mirage in this desert where the most green-friendly things are hulking cell phone sequoia towers.

The Clark County Commission this week approved a pilot program, which, among other things — I’ll get to them in a moment — would allow residents to dump all of their recyclables in the same bin.

That’s largely my husband’s view of recycling now — except the bin where it all ends up is the trash can. Far be it from me to add to the cost of newsprint or the price of my pinot. So it’s my hands that end up picking newspapers, crushed soda cans and the occasional beer bottle from the kitchen trash.

My neighborhood used to have a smaller recycling truck — one where there did appear to be separate openings for glass, plastic/aluminum and newspaper. But maybe because my block recycles at a higher rate than the rest of the county (five or six houses out of eight), we were awarded the larger truck. Maybe it’s such a cool truck that sensors inside sort the stuff.

Here’s another riddle.

Republic Services’ Web site says it will accept flattened cardboard as long as it’s left alongside the bins.

I’ve watched the guy put my cardboard right in with the newspapers. I’ve also seen him leave it for the trash truck that typically arrives a few hours later.

At any rate, the mysteries of Republic’s recycling only add to the woes here.

Evergreen Recycling Program President Rob Dorinson told the commission on Tuesday that the county’s recycling rate is somewhere in the “dismal category.” Way to dress it up, Rob.

Clark County’s overall rate is 18 percent, still way off a 25 percent goal. But the residential recycling rate of 2 percent is nothing short of abysmal.

The commission approved pilot programs that will examine three different ways Republic could conduct its curbside pickups in the future. (Commissioners Chris Giunchigliani and Tom Collins voted against the proposal.)

The first option is to do nothing. Trash would still be picked up twice a week and recyclable materials every other week.

The second option would be to pick up recyclables every week on one of the two trash pickup days.

The third, and most hated option, is to reduce trash pickup to once a week. Recycling would increase to once a week.

That’s a classic move aimed at pitting those who recycle against those who just want their smelly garbage picked up twice a week.

In any of these scenarios, residents would be able to dump all of their recyclables into one bin. The glass would have to be tossed into the garbage.

A skeptic (and frankly, anyone who has Republic service should be) would suggest this is all just an end-run around a rate increase. In 2005, Republic Services floated an idea to cut back trash pickup to once a week at the same time it increased recycling pickup to once a week. Last summer, Republic’s plan re-emerged as part of a larger recycling advisory committee. The public was again peeved, and commissioners openly fretted about the stench from their garages.

Now the plan to scrap twice-weekly pickup is back as one of three options. It doesn’t take a cynic to question the motives.

Dorinson suggested people wouldn’t need twice-a-week trash collection if they recycled. But perhaps people don’t like the idea that a company already greased through with an exclusive 50-year contract will again get to screw over the public. They’re either going to take away service or charge us more. Or both.

The plan to weasel out of its contractual duties by requesting once-a-week curbside pickup is grounds for the county to revoke the exclusive contract. After all, Republic may be the lone hold-out for government franchises of the pre-Internet era.

Phone service is a dinosaur, with more customers switching to cable or dumping land lines altogether. Cable has morphed into a monster to compete with satellite systems. Some newspapers have vowed to drop their print editions as the death rate for boomers increases. E-mail has replaced nearly everything of worth that arrives from the postal service.

But trash isn’t going anywhere new. It’s still hauled from the curb by Teamsters, driven to the plant and then transported sloppily in big trucks out to the Apex landfill, where it sits and stinks, unmindful of the changing world.

The only evolution by Republic is a proposed step back.

The reason Republic got the exclusive franchises here (apart from the steady campaign contributions to elected officials) was their promise of twice-weekly pickup for rates lower than other Western locales. Now lower rates are used against us.

The best pilot may be the one we’ll never see — competition.

Erin Neff’s column runs Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. She can be reached at (702) 387-2906, or by e-mail at eneff@reviewjournal.com.