Ok, so the “Poll of the Week” lasted slightly longer than a week.

The question: How much would you be willing to pay for Curbside recycling? 

The clear winner (with 43% of the votes) was “I’ve never had to pay for curbside recycling in previous cities.” which was not one of the original selections and was added by a reader.

Second place (23%) was had by “$5 a week,” third (14%) was “$10 a week,” and bringing up fourth (9%) was “I drive in to CVille everyday and recycle there for free.” – another option added by a reader.

First, thanks to Andrew for the flexible polling plugin. I wonder what political polls would look like if those polled were able to add their own answers, perhaps, “None of the Above?”

I am befuddled and perplexed with the answer “I’ve never had to pay …” A better answer should have been “Recycling has always been a service provided by the local government, paid for with my taxes.” Maybe this is a matter of semantics, but I don’t think so. I think this is an important distinction that (one of the many reasons) serves to dissuade private enterprise from making recycling a viable business.
Recycling is something that is in greater demand from my clients. A “pulled from the air” analysis tells me that at least 50-60% of my clients either do or would like to do if it were readily available. Recycling availability falls under the heading of “quality of life” that impacts the real estate market.

Is the following a fair conclusion? – Recycling is something that people would be willing to pay for as long as the cost is hidden from plain sight. Put your responsibilities in the hands of government and everything will be ok.

The government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it. ~Ronald Reagan

And in seeking quotes about taxes, I found this one by Ronald Reagan that I just had to note.

Before I refuse to take your questions, I have an opening statement….

~Ronald Reagan,