Interesting true story about recycling and sewage tax in my city

A roomate was telling me last night, about how recycling really works. Thought others would fidn this rather interesting.
My roomate, his brother, works for the recycling and garbage trucks in my city. When recycling was started, in 1990, it was promised to us, that it would drop taxes and it did, 10%. I was taught BY pamphlets my city gave me, to seperate everything..newspapers from cans ect. Past few years, the city did away with the blue bins, and required us to have a smaller recycling bin on wheels, kinda like a plastic trash bin on wheels, and a seperate bigger container, for garbage, the trucks use to hook onto it, lift it up, eliminatiing human lifting. Liability stuff.
Since about 2002, we have had a sewer tax in my city, like $55 a year. thats 12% tax increase. He tells me, at the recycling station, all the garbage and recycables are put into the same truck, mixed together, and sent to NJ. I read online 2 years ago, our garbage goes to a landfill in Ohio. Now, it goes to NJ for incineration. garbage burns at a certain temperature, aluminum burns at differnt temeprature, cardbaord ect ect. I wasnt aware, thats how recycables are really preped.
His brother, didnt pay his sewer tax for many years, so over time, it was at $9,000 he owed in back sewer taxes. In court, the judge asked him whats goin on not paying your taxes. They put a lean on his home* his answer to the judge....yuor honor, i work for the city garbage and recycling, i see how it really works....the judge cleared the courtroom, took a 5 minute recess. came back out and dismised his $9,000 tax. but he did have to pay $250 taxes.
Apparently, the judge new what was goin on too, ya know? it makes me wonder HOW much of our recycables are really being recycled at all, or is it all being incinerated? the catch is... that 10% drop in taxes, the city wanted it back* and found a loophole to get that 10% back pluys 2% more, per household. see it?
Its not my state of CT recycling anything at all! they dont care about recycling..The sewer tax was an excuse, to get the 10% back via recycling, yet the state does none of it at all!!! it goes to NJ* were paying for a service we dont use/do!
that isnt fair, and would lvoe to wrrite my mayor/congressman regarding this.
Thought this would be some kinda awesome info on what goes on behind closed doors and the scam and scheme of things we dont know about.
whats everyones thoughts and ideas?

ANother interesting thing about my city is...
My roomate has 2 kids, he is divorced though. 3 yearrs ago, every week, they would fill 4 trash cans. mice started coming around his backyard, and then rats. MANY rats showed up. he built a wooden bin around the containers. The, a few years ago, the city made it so we have to use these large 60 gallon trash bins, with handles, so the trucks can use an arm to lift the bins up. its a handle really more than an arm. The new trash bins wouldnt fit all the way in his wooden structure, and soon enough the rats came back.
The city refused to empty his trash cans, the old school ones, and would not empty a 3rd new 60 gallon trash container. His argument, understandably, is theri are rats! what are yuo(the city)going to do about it..rats carried bubonic plague, ther a neusancce and a health hazard to the public, let alone a household! the city did not want to help him/
Mycity, is more concerned about getting their tax money on time, in my opinion, and imposing new taxes, yet they completely disregarded a helping cry and plea from a mess they themselves helped create.
Thought that was some more interesting info to read*

That is some (the first post in particular) very interesting information. Sounds like business as usual for local government.

I'm not sure they would be burning paper and cardboard however (I could be wrong) - Glass and Aluminum perhaps, the melt at different temperatures, so they separate and they scrape one thing of the top of another.

The whole thing between your room-mates bro and the judge sounds interesting.

Maybe you could do some fact checking and investigation and write up a good copy, get direct quotes etc, and send it to your local paper, mayor (and perhaps more importantly your opposition mayor), your local Greens party, your local environmental groups, local TV station and news personalities, city blogs and your congressmen and anyone else you can think of.

starred and flagged you

This makes me want to go make random accusations against my local city government over this recycling issue as well.

I have no proof, I will simply ACT like I have proof and ACT like I know what I am talking about.

It is a pure bluff.

But they won't know that.

And if it is actually TRUE? They will think I somehow found out.

That will be a real knee-slapper.

reply to post by muzzleflash

You should film it - I would help it go viral.

Yeah it is interesting info isnt it! What ive learned is, this whole 'going green' that is showing up and around, started back in 1990 witht he recycling program. The differnece is, NO ONE really cares, at least at the government level what happens to you, me or the world. ITs all about money* which ironically, is green itself*
If it didnt involve making money for any level or branch of government, the landfills would probably have been near overcrowded by now. at least thats what ive learned how things really work* I am all for recycling,w ithout question! i am a HUGE recycle person. But it isnt easy, when a level of government exploits it for profit reasons*