Recycling: How to make it easier

[Virginia Johnson]

This message is being sent to ddot, DPW, Council member Jim Graham, the Green CP (Cleveland Park) Plus list, and the Adams Morgan yahoo list.

Hello,

Today, I went to the Ft Totten transfer station to recycle some household hazardous waste and some e-waste. This facility is good -  I have a fairly strong feeling that it is actually recycling the materials brought there. It is, effectively, the closest thing we have to a recycle center.

To get there, I took two buses, and then for the return, I walked over a mile to the metro station, Brookland, back to Adams Morgan where I live. I'd like to make a proposal to the Department of Transportation. I'd like to propose that, since hazardous waste recycling is only once a month now, they provide shuttle service either to the site directly from various locations in every ward, or provide shuttle service from and to the Brookland station, on the red line. If from the metro station, then the shuttle would be free of charge or a very nominal charge. If from neighborhoods, then there might be a roundtrip charge of $5 per passenger. From the neighborhoods is ideal because recyclers can load up more stuff than they can otherwise carry on foot.

There are so many obstacles to recycling in our nation's capital, and now not having a car appears to be one of them. I was the only pedestrian there at the time I went. I imagine there are people who arrive on their bicycles, but at the time, I didn't see any.

DDOT, I would appreciate hearing your thoughts on this matter. If anyone on this list has suggestions for how I can communicate in a more focused way with DDOT or DPW, or anyone else, I would appreciate hearing it.

Thanks.
Virginia Johnson