Dear Editor,

The images of the smoke-covered Corporate Area, school closures, reports of residents being ill, plus the estimated $25-million cost of recovery from the recent Riverton City landfill fire anger me, because I strongly believe there is at least one potentially smoking (pun intended) industry that has been ignored by all the well-wishing environmentalists and successive governments.

When will the government, NEPA, JET, and all the micro-recycling and green agencies light the fire of a national recycling programme? The technocrats and development planners didn't include it in Vision 2030, but we must put it on the agenda now. NEPA has called for residents to stop burning their garbage. Frankly, if residents knew their trash would be cash, they wouldn't be burning it. And there is a recycling programme that does reward residents for their recyclable trash. Recycle Bank (www.recyclebank.com) started in 2004 in the US as a post-grad project with a goal to reduce the waste that goes to landfills by partnering with municipalities to collect recyclables in single stream (no need to learn the difference between PET and PETE) plastic, and rewarding households with points that are redeemable for goods and services at participating merchants.

When will the government, NEPA, JET, and all the micro-recycling and green agencies light the fire of a national recycling programme? The technocrats and development planners didn't include it in Vision 2030, but we must put it on the agenda now. NEPA has called for residents to stop burning their garbage. Frankly, if residents knew their trash would be cash, they wouldn't be burning it. And there is a recycling programme that does reward residents for their recyclable trash. Recycle Bank (www.recyclebank.com) started in 2004 in the US as a post-grad project with a goal to reduce the waste that goes to landfills by partnering with municipalities to collect recyclables in single stream (no need to learn the difference between PET and PETE) plastic, and rewarding households with points that are redeemable for goods and services at participating merchants.

In the words of co-founder and CEO Ron Cohen, "Today (Recyclebank is) enabling millions of people to view environmental stewardship as a financially rewarding opportunity" through their "Gconomy" - G for green - economic model which ensures that every one of their three-million members is a direct beneficiary of the economic rewards of doing the green thing. Aren't we searching for investors? Aren't we looking for international partnerships that will boost our economy? I say, let's partner with recyclebank and light the fire in Kingston and watch the smoke cover the island with the establishment of a National Recycling Programme. See http://www.empoweredmunicipality.com/recycle-bank-partners-with-cities-rewards-participants.

Nadine Muschette

muschetten@gmail.com

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