To the Editor:
This is in regards to the Town of St. Paul council’s decision to stop recycling plastic. First of all, I’m in doubt the plastics that were put inside the bins at the north end of St. Paul were ever recycled, despite all the efforts of concerned citizens who thought they were doing a good deed for the environment. According to the article on town council in the Nov. 30 St. Paul Journal, it sounds like most plastics were hauled to the landfill because there is no apparent market for recycled plastic. And second, not recycling plastics is just a bad decision. One plastic bag takes 10 years plus to break down, while harder plastic takes upwards of 200 years, and much longer in colder climates like Alberta winters. Even at that, the plastic never really decomposes, it just breaks down into smaller plastic. One scientist stated that all plastic ever produced on earth is still on earth. What exactly are we trying to leave behind for our children and grandchildren?
Browsing the Internet, I found numerous plastic recycling companies and companies that make recycled plastic into everything from toys to fencing to furniture. So yes, there is a market for recycled plastic. It may just be a matter of research and a matter of spending priority. Recycling plastic should be more important than say, fancy street lights in St. Paul.
It is time, as a society, to take responsibility for our garbage and quit making excuses for abusing Mother Earth.
Diane M. Robinson,
St. Paul