Polk County has never been particularly enthusiastic about promoting recycling.
It was viewed primarily as an inconvenience tied to state recycling goals that seemed to have gone by the wayside after Chinese officials decided a few years ago that they would no longer be the world’s garbage can.
On Oct 1, the end of curbside recycling in unincorporated Polk County will become official. Some cities are expected to continue their service.
The word “Recycling” will no longer be part of the logo on county-funded garbage trucks.
It is nice to see truth in advertising.
If you have cardboard boxes and steel and aluminum cans you want to get rid of, you will be on your own.
Glass, which has its uses where markets exist, has not been in the mix lately.
Ditto for plastic, which is pretty much unrecyclable, despite propaganda from the bottlers and the chemical industry you may see on television and other media.
At a recent work session, county staffers discussed how they were going to try to inform the public about the end of recycling.
Probably what they ought to spend more time on is explaining why although the money-losing recycling program is going away, garbage rates that will appear on you tax bill will increase 63 percent and will increase annually from now on to keep up with inflation.
The public is already starting to notice, according to posts on social media.
The budget hearings later this year could be interesting.