Comments so far on this story:

1. Simple Guy wrote on July 17, 2007 3:02 PM:
"Bravo! I can't believe what a hassle it is to recycle my bottles, cans and newspapers in my (newly built BTW) apartment building. If I want to throw stuff away (and finish filling up the Miramar landfill even quicker), it's a free and easy 50 steps outside my door to the trash chute. To recycle, I have to go down the elevator to the garage, walk to the furthest part and then climb a flight of stairs, open three different doors all while carrying my recyclables, enter the stinky trash room and toss it into the Recycle dumpster. Total pain in the a**. And this City still lets me throw away as much trash as I want without paying a dime for it. Talk about a screwed-up incentive structure! Can this City PLEEZE make it a little easier to be Green???"

2. Howiek wrote on July 17, 2007 4:45 PM:
"Like a lot of things, San Diego is way behind the times; the time to start a recycling program is long past. Most of the rest of the county as well as the state have been recycling for years, get on the stick San Diego. And when Miramar closes don’t think you will simply be able to dump your trash anywhere, it’s going to cost a lot to ship it out of the county."

3. Rocky wrote on July 17, 2007 11:26 PM:
"The problem is, we are in a "Throw-Away Society." Most everything we buy has a short life cycle and thus, instead of repairing it means replacing. This is what is filling up the landfills. No matter how well a recycle program is implemented the trash will still overwhelm us in time. The manufacturers must get into the act and make items more durable and stop over-packaging the items they sell us."

4. Larry wrote on July 17, 2007 11:44 PM:
"Once again, the mayor and his "staff" prove that they are unable to execute. Their response to Frye's request for participation at her committee meeting was laughable. Are they not held to the charter anymore? As for recycling, this city should have had a plan nearly a year ago and should be well into the implementation by now. Deny, deceive, delay. That is the Sanders motto. It's time for change, starting with a new mayor in 2008."

5. Point Loman wrote on July 18, 2007 2:22 AM:
"So who is paying for the collection of the increased amount of recyclables? Pig farmers? If this ordinance is instituted, someone better amend the motion to include a repeal of "The Peoples' Ordinance." There is no way to increase service levels without increasing budgets. It just isn't possible."

6. Jason wrote on July 18, 2007 3:19 AM:
"I think SD should be analyzing other cities recycling programs for cost and effectiveness. I remember when Bloomberg became mayor, he stopped NYC's recycling program for a year. That was blasphemy, we'd been doing it for over a decade. Then, after his staff had time to review the program, they found a way to do it profitably. San Diego needs to get on the ball with this. Sander's administration is so reactive, coming up with new bull$#!^ is like a full time job for them. SD is an awesome city and it deserves better. We need a new mayor. link"

7. Mert wrote on July 18, 2007 3:42 AM:
"There isn't a snowball's chance in hell that our tax-averse citizens will repeal "The People's Ordinance", which allows residents to have their trash picked up for free. Given the city's financial woes, do you really think that our government will spend millions of dollars for a mandatory recycling ordinance? While it is something that should happen from an environmental standpoint, it just ain't gonna happen...."

8. Caitlin wrote on July 18, 2007 9:44 AM:
"Mert is dead on with regard to the voters unwillingness to repeal the "People's Ordinance" which is more than 100 years old. If Aguirre had any real courage, he would challenge the interpretation of the charter on this issue. The city simply needs to get out of the trash business altogether."

9. Bob wrote on July 21, 2007 1:07 AM:
"I love recycling in my large blue bin. It's full darn near every two weeks. But I will admit, I recycle my own bottles and cans for cash. A lot of my neighbors do not, so I can only assume that the city has some place where the content of all these blue bins are taken, sorted and sold for cash. I never see any figures on this. But I do see stories about how the city cannot get out of the trash business because of all the revenue it creates from dump fees. I just hope that the contents of the blue bins are not being taken to the Miramar landfill."