To the editor:

Reading about plans to reorganize the city’s trash service perplexed me. To impose only this option on Lawrence residents seems inflexible, unjust and economically unsound in troubled financial times.

I’m upset because I’m a dedicated recycler. I manage my recycling needs at no expense. As a composter and recycler I contribute no more than two small bags of trash to the landfill every month. Now I’ll be penalized for having less trash. Now I’ll be forced to accept these two large, unsightly bins I don’t have room for and pay increased fees for the displeasure. If the recycling bin does not accept all forms of recyclables, I’ll need to continue my usual recycling routine, only now I’ll get to pay YOU for that. At the rate of one or two small bags per month it could take most of a year to fill that bin. It seems pointless to haul that big thing to the curb with only one small bag in it – if there is a bag that week. Hence, I’ll get to pay more for trash that won’t be picked up for months! Go figure.

How long will it take the city to recoup the cost of those bins and trucks? What about the local recycling businesses? What about people who can’t manage that big bin alone? I am all for promoting recycling, but residents should have choice for the configuration of their trash and recycling needs. This sounds a bit totalitarian.