CHEERS to one of the North Country's trash haulers who last year introduced "no-sort" recycling to its menu of services. Talk about making recycling easy. Recycling newspapers, magazines, plastic, glass jars, cardboard and our cereal boxes, for years promoted as keeping our landfills free for real garbage, has been one of those things that customers always remember to be important to the ecology. But for some, it's a pain in the neck. For others, it's just another one of those sometimes-volunteer initiatives to be ignored. Oftentimes, customers are asked to separate their recyclables: newspapers/magazines, plastic, glass, cardboard/boxboard, etc. The "no-sort" concept is to put all the recyclables in one container. Many municipalities across the country have put the concept into use. Recycling has never been more simple.
JEERS to service people who don't call back potential customers. We have heard complaints from a number of people who said they called a plumber or an electrician or another repair expert and never got a return call. If you have a heater that isn't working or an overflowing toilet, you need help right away, so it is frustrating not to hear from someone who can fix the problem. If that particular plumber is too busy to do the job, a quick call to say so would be appreciated. Then the customer could look elsewhere for service. In this time when securing work is so important it makes sense to be courteous to possible customers. If the repair person can't handle the job now, a polite call to explain that could lead to future work.
JEERS once again to those folks who leave their unsightly garbage containers at the end of their driveways days after the hauler has picked up their rubbish. OK, so it may be an aesthetic thing to others in the neighborhood, but it's also dangerous, especially along well-traveled roads and highways. To wit: Last week the North Country had days of windy weather, with gusts sometimes reaching 20 to 30 mph. And what happens to those empty containers? They blow across the road up across the street, sometimes creating hazardous conditions for motorists who have to dodge the large pieces of rubber and plastic blowing in front of them. And those containers that don't have attached tops, often become separated, the tops disappearing altogether, never to be seen again. Think about it the next time garbage day comes around.
— If you have a Cheers and Jeers suggestion that you want the Editorial Board to consider, email it to Editor Lois Clermont at letters@pressrepublican.com.
