Rincon Heights Neighbors

"Blue Barrel" Polka - Coming Soon To Our Neighborhood

Nov 14, 2002

So you don?’t like bringing your garbage can in after it?’s been emptied? Well, soon you?’re going to have two cans to deal with.

?“Blue Barrels?” are again being delivered to Tucson?’s neighborhoods to increase recycling participation and save space in our landfills.

There are two things happening here:

First we have to learn to generate less garbage because it?’s getting prohibitively expensive to bury it AND contend with the long-term effects of materials becoming future hazards. So many things can be recycled and it?’s time we do so. Throwing away stuff and letting someone else deal with the problem of where to put has never been our right as Americans.
Second, our neighborhood has a number of residents who leave their garbage cans out all the time. The cans block sidewalks, tip over during storms, and exhibit a general disregard for other neighbors who help keep this neighborhood looking good. Now those who leave BOTH cans out all the time can be reported to the City?’s Solid Waste Management Department (SWMD) so they they?’ll be reminded of cotes that, by the way, have been in effect before Blue Barrels came along.

So, to all Rincon Heights Neighborhood residents, I say: Let?’s show the rest of Tucson that we care about the bigger picture. Let?’s recycle: White paper, packing boxes, bottles, (most) plastics, newspapers, and magazines, all the stuff that?’s on the list you?’ll get with your Blue Barrel. And when both barrels are emptied (no, this is not the Old West) let?’s also not leave them out on the sidewalks and streets.

- Michael Carson