Another question to ask: Does City Hall even offer plastic recycling?

Whilst a lot of this was addressed with a response to the Wall-E letter (flash back available, if I did it right, by clicking my name), there appears to be a need to relive some of it.

I again ask, where are these “mountains of trash pouring into local landfills”? Unless you speak of the bulbous disco-ball-dressed trash photographed pouring into One8o, I simply cannot find these mountains.

I also wonder, has it worked well for KCMO to focus on minutiae as the maxutiae runs unchecked? It seems it would take an incredible amount of effort to focus on the bottled water forbearance while continuing to disregard the City’s real problems such as bicyclists, inability to tap the JOCO sweet ass dough, Carl Peterson, Chris Packham’s anti-anorexia, and a whole slew of REAL problems.

You do get kudos for even mentioning the sewage problems, though. This is the most press I have seen on the matter. And, as always, I lurve when you guys try to be green, it is so cute. But, let’s not relive too much of the Wall-E letter just now.

Kate Corwin is starting her bid for city council. A fine successor to Bland Jan Marcason. Another non-profiter with no real world experience. The Pitch is just playing in to giving her free campaign publicity.

Trevor, I see where your point. All aspects of the KCMO picture - big and small - are important. Your issue of KCMO focus sounds like a great job for the press. I like your enthusiasm. Funny thing: no one at City Hall is exactly focusing on what you might think is a small issue. In KC, the petition grew from a grassroots approach that doesn't have to do with politics.

Across the nation, governments have been banning the city purchase of bottle water for city agencies. They say it reduces waste and saves money. If only we had the bright idea first, but no, KC is just one of many cities feeling the budget crunch. At the core of "green" issues, is the economic reality of limited resources. The National Conference of Mayors just issued a resolution asking all cities to adopt a phase-out at city agencies; it is really important to stress this is not a city-wide ban. It is only at City Hall. (There is no need for anyone to panic about your right to buy your own bottle). It's an easy ordinance to draft and reducing doesn't take much effort. Best of all, it is free.

Regardless of waste management issues, I've heard people wonder why the city should spend resources on bottled water, when there is a great filtration system in place at City Hall - which we pay for. It may seem small at first glance; I agree. But these small things add up and positive examples send messages, which we really could use.

Recently, I've broken my own habit of stocking up on bottled water. You bet your booty it was selfish: now I save a lot of money and I no longer worry about where to recycle my plastic bottles. I live in an apartment in the Midtown. Since the Midtown recycling center closed, it has been hard justifying gas-guzzling trips to a suburban recycling center.

It is also hard to believe there is a great big, green conspiracy of self-motivated recyclers and environmentalists. We all get annoyed by an extreme, mental environmentalist. But we may be victims of crazier efforts. In 2004, after mass marketing efforts convinced us that our tap water was tainted, global consumption rose to 41 billion gallons of bottled water – up 57% from the previous five years.

In 2006, Americans consumed more than 30 billion bottles of water. Less than 14% of that was recycled, while 26 billion bottles were sent to landfills. More than 17 million barrels of oil were required to make the plastic bottles, not including the energy used in transportation and storage.

Trevor, you are right: we don't see the piles of trash. Isn't that how it works? We throw it "away." They take it "away" and we don't have to think about it - or see it. A friend asked me the other day, just where is "away"? MARC - the Mid America Regional Council - has loads of information about our landfills and specific locations. (They aren't in our "backyards" for a reason). According to city planners, one of our four landfills has closed and the remaining three will start to expire in the next 10 years. It takes at least 10 years to open a new landfill. Not to mention it is expensive. We don't even have a plan, yet. (If we are dumping at our current rate, in the next 10 years, we will have filled more than three Arrowhead stadiums).

One of the reasons we have not focused on waste reduction is that we have had cheap landfill space - which is thanks to our Midwestern geography. But now that it is limited, the prices will be rising. According to the Missouri Recycling Association, Missourians generate 37% more trash than the average American. I don't think this exactly means we consume more, but it could show that we are guilty of investing less in reduction and recycling. Again, it makes sense. It has been cheap (and easy) for us. Just like the city website explains: KC has one of the most cost-effective trash removal systems, spending $7 less per household than the national average. (Keep in mind, this cost is on the rise).

People might even argue that recycling can be more expensive than just dumping the trash. Still, the more trash we generate, the more expensive the waste management becomes. So the bottom line is to minimize the use of materials that become waste. Let’s hope this is just one step against the “slew of REAL problems” that impact our quality of life. You are right about the small thing, too. According to the solid waste management plan, plastics are an issue in landfill space for KC at 13% - but paper is at an even larger 34%.

Granted, paper biodegrades quicker, but it still holds the number one spot in our landfills. You have to consider other issues like the cost of the massive amount and the impact the weight has in the removal process. The great news is that paper has a longer recycling life than plastic. Not to mention, it is becoming easier for us to all reduce our individual use of paper products. Which is another nice thing about this grassroots petition: it is totally paperless.

Carolyn, I hope to see more community discussion about waste management in KC. Clearly, it is a growing issue and a bottle ban in City Hall will not solve all. At the least, it makes us think about our own lifestyles. Thank you for the Pitch Plog and thanks for letting me air my (albeit, comment-space consuming) dirt.

Wow, Elizabeth S, lemmie start by saying that brevity and direction are more virtuous than patience and I shall incorporate all in my reply. Alas, I have also been wrongly called mean, so you may feel like a happy little bunny hopping through Plogland getting massacred. However, you must realize that you are just experiencing nature taking its course. So, don’t be discouraged…just evolve some bunny teeth and claws and remain persistent.

The bottled water situation is indeed a small issue because it is readily solved. There is not a single logical reason to drink it in KCMO City Hall, or in very many other regional places for that matter. You cannot claim KCMO is “me tooing” either because most of the other places that have banned bottled water have functional schools, semi-effective police forces, compliant wastewater treatment, and a myriad of other non-KCMO features. Thus they have the time to focus on minutiae whereas KCMO is so messed up they don’t even have a clock, let alone the time.

Your details about solid waste management indicate a few things; there are no “mountains” of trash, there are resources to handle the trash (i.e. send it to KS according to MARC), and it costs less than the national average. Again, one would conclude that solid waste management is another small issue that should remain on the back burner as we focus on the raw sewage entering the river, et al.

Thus, I further conclude, as I have before, that busting out the green card requires more than regurgitating factoids from .orgs. But, rest assured, as long as Carolyn keeps launching them, I shall be here to shoot them down...and her little bunny too!

Ok here is my poor version of quickie, Trevor. Read the longie again if you need to check the facts. I did an entire story on it and can even send you the audio file, if you like. I think you’ll find my scrutiny of Wall-E-hype enjoyable. Plus, it is loaded with actual interviews and resources, not just the .orgs. I used the statics to tie in the analysis. "Factoids," seem to be more legitimate than speculating. You've blogged about the EPA, but what about looking at how landfills work and the cost structure involved? I'm not an expert, either. (I sat with one in KC to learn more.) Waste management is cheap, because we have not been fully addressing it. Very soon, it will be getting more expensive. City planners say, it could even raise the $18M expense by an additional $12M. (It doesn't have to be that high). You sound like you know about economics - so you know the deal with limited supply - hence our landfill space. Someone is going to have to sharpen their teeth, if they want to fight the truth of what is going on. (And why would they)? Don't worry factoids, don't hurt my feelings. And I’ve taken my share of personal hits. If I am ever wrong, I have no problem correcting myself. It happens to the best of us, bunnies.

KS is just one of the dumping grounds, Trevor, and I think this is home to the one that city planners just say closed. The Johnson County site closes in 2027, while the Lee's Summit spot expires in 2014 and Courtney Ridge does in 2026.

I agree Trevor, Raw Sewage is important. Let's hope the good greenies at the Hall can do more than two things at once!

Wow, Elizabeth S, I declare you have shown more moxie than anyone I have seen in my short time in Plogville. Although it is necessary to point out there is no mirror.

I never stated solid waste management is not important, however, I strongly stated that the “mountains of trash” is hyperbole. Further, I implied that the propagation of factoids is a deterrent to sensible problem solving, which I grant you seem to understand better than most.

However, since when is space in limited supply in KS or MO? Since when can reporters or city hall acquire the knowledge and ability to design landfills? Wouldn’t it make sense to perhaps interview properly trained engineers familiar with EPA RCRA requirements instead of the Internet? Of course in the near future, you need to find these engineers from those that grew up somewhere outside KCMO because it is awfully tough to get into engineering school without a high school education. Trust me, simply hoping that folks at the Hall can accomplish something meaningfully helpful for their town hasn't been a good method so far.

I'm going to send Elizabeth S.'s rants to the producers of MadTV and SNL to see if they want to develop a character based on her crazy comical rants.

Trevor 1 and Trevor 2: Just because you read The Pitch, doesn't mean you are a professional plogging devil's A. (Keep that day job). The Pitch provides another outlet for that kind of penting; try the back pages.

(Psst... according to MARC, the EPA pros in town, KC does have limited landfill space).

Props to Elizabeth (and Carolyn) for dropping some knowledge in Plogville.