New recycling regulations for next year

Recycling changes loom for Mt. Lebanon, other South Hills Communities

Starting next year, Mt. Lebanon residents will be unable to throw glass and select types of plastic into their recycling bins. 

We will only be able to recycle plastics numbered 1 and 2. No glass bottles or jars will be accepted.  The article states that we can recycle cardboard. That is not entirely true. We cannot recycle pizza boxes because of the grease. I wonder about the grease in boxes containing cheese sticks, fries, or any other take out food. I think they are discriminating against pizza lovers. I'm offended.

We better not be hit with Pay as You Throw next. My recycling can is usually quite filled with glass jars and bottles. I have tried to be more mindful about recycling and now it is going to blow up in our faces. With our super duper Public Works that has gone waaaaaaaaaaay over budget and is behind six months, maybe we can have our own glass recycling program since we will have the space for it.

I'm still not over the stormwater fee. Mt. Lebanon started charging us a stormwater fee starting in 2011, so that they could control stormwater runoff in areas prone to flooding. Yeah, that's working well. Maybe we will hear more about how that million dollars a year collected every year in fees, in the September issue of mtl Magazine. We will get to see all the flood photos collected of this past June.

Western Pa. towns eye fees to control stormwater runoff

“During the past two years, I have been asked to speak at three different professional conferences on this subject and Mt. Lebanon's program,” said Mt. Lebanon municipal Manager Steve Feller. “Because of the stormwater fee, Mt. Lebanon has had the resources to initiate numerous projects to maintain and enhance the existing system and also expand the system to areas deficient of storm sewer infrastructure.”
Since Mt. Lebanon adopted the program, which raises about $1 million a year, Dormont, Whitehall and Scott have weighed potential fees, Feller said.

The bottom line is that we are paying for deficient storm sewer infrastructure while flooding is worse than ever and next we will hear that we have to pay more as we try to be green.