You Better Recycle or Else!

The city of South Portland, Maine recently proposed fining residents $500 for not recycling to combat contamination issues. San Francisco, California levies a fine of $100 for not recycling or composting. If you don't recycle in Seattle, Washington there is a $50 fine with that decision. I know what you are thinking, these are East and West Coast cities. That can never happen in the Mid-West!

Well...Madison, Wisconsin fines residents $100 for failing to recycle. Wait, that's a hippie liberal college town-no way that happens here. Well...Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, similar to St. Louis, has a fine of $62.50 for mandated recycling.

Why, you ask, is Eco-Audrey writing about this, particularly on the Patch where local issues rule? Because, the city of Pagedale right here in North St. Louis County has started fining residents that do not recycle. Pagedale pays for trash and recycling collection for its residents. According to Mayor Carter, every time someone does not recycle in Pagedale, it costs the city money. The fine is minimal, and nothing close to those stated above, but still...

Eco-Audrey knows there are some people that recycle everything, and some people who refuse to recycle. However, most of us fall somewhere in between those two. Most of us will choose to recycle if it is readily available, doesn't cost too much, or isn't too inconvenient. I do feel CHOOSE is the key word here.

Let me know what you think, I would love to hear comments on how you feel on this subject.

Eco-Audrey is the fictional face of St. Louis County's Recycling Becomes Me campaign. Although Audrey is not real, the writer from St. Louis County most certainly is.