Seattle sued over recycling inspectors keeping tabs on residents' trash

When it comes to garbage, the city of Seattle has launched a waste war.
Nine full-time solid waste inspectors have been hired as part of a controversial program to check city trash to make sure people are recycling. Additionally, contracted waste haulers have been effectively deputized as trash police, given the authority to tag bins when people fail to recycle and compost enough.
The program is now the subject of a lawsuit, as residents fume over what some call an intrusive government program.


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American recycling is stalling, and the big blue bin is one reason why

Tucked in the woods 30 miles north of Washington is a plant packed with energy-guzzling machines that can make even an environmentalist’s heart sing — giant conveyor belts, sorters and crushers saving a thousand tons of paper, plastic and other recyclables from reaching landfills each day.

The 24-hour operation is a sign that after three decades of trying, a culture of curbside recycling has become ingrained in cities and counties across the country. Happy Valley, however, it is not.


Once a profitable business for cities and private employers alike, recycling in recent years has become a money-sucking enterprise.


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Blue Heron goes down, so does a $13.75 million public investment

4/21/2011 by Jacob Szeto - "In 2005, Blue Heron embarked on a project to upgrade its recycling and plant equipment to reduce energy consumption and expand its recycling capabilities. Blue Heron did not go to a bank for a loan. Instead, the state of Oregon stepped in and offered to give the company the money it needed through a combination of cash and loans.

The state claimed the project was exactly the kind of investment it was looking for." Read more at Oregon Capitol News... Read More......