The value of the ‘zero-waste’ trip

Still, we are glad to report that some of our officials took that trip this week. We would not be so presumptuous to conclude that they went because we suggested it, but we felt strongly enough about it to send one of our editors and dedicate many hours of reporting for our coverage of the trip starting on page 1 of today’s paper.

The trip comes at an ideal time. Commissioners from Carroll and Frederick counties are debating whether or not they should build trash incinerators, what people in the industry call ‘‘waste-to-energy facilities” because they burn trash to generate electricity.

Commissioners are debating partnering on a regional incinerator or building separate ones, at a cost of what will be hundreds of millions of dollars. They must do something. Landfills in both counties are so full that each hauls most if not all their trash to other counties for disposal. Relying on other counties for such a basic service is no long-term solution and subject to fluctuating gas prices associated with hauling.

We applaud Frederick commissioners David P. Gray and Kai J. Hagen, Frederick Mayor W. Jeff Holtzinger, and Frederick Alderman C. Paul Smith for making the trip, as well as the handful of private residents who went along. They are open to what is possible instead of just accepting that an incinerator is a foregone conclusion.

Unfortunately, no one from Carroll County was able to take the trip, but that doesn’t mean they can’t benefit from it. Frederick County officials intend to present a report on their trip to the commissioners, and we hope Carroll representatives participate in that presentation.

Visiting Boulder is a good idea because its residents are making things happen in terms of diverting waste from the landfill or incinerator.

Its Center for Hard to Recycle Materials (CHaRM) is profitable because they don't just bury their trash in the ground; they find new and different ways to sell it back to big industry.

People who have disabilities work at CHaRM, and nonviolent jail inmates help sort other recyclable material.

Boulder seems to be a unique place where a lot of forward-thinking systems are in place. Grass-roots efforts started the movement 30 years ago, and now those efforts are paying off.

Looking at how another jurisdiction handles its solid waste can lead to long-term savings here at home.One impressive characteristic of the way Boulder recycles is the partnership that exists between the government, the business community, and residents.

Each seems to feel as though it is their moral responsibility to recycle as much as they can. They are about to roll out the next phase of recycling when the government starts collecting leftover food for composting, an element to recycling we question could ever take hold here.

It’s as though Boulder residents have green blood running through their veins. Perhaps it would be a good idea if we all added a tinge of green to our blood.

We don’t know if Boulder’s ideas will work here, but seeing them is the first step. Will we have the political will to take the second step? Only residents have the ability to answer that question.

We should not wait until we have a crisis on our hands, similar to the oil crisis we are dealing with nationally. Let’s get a green blood transfusion while we have time. If folks in our communities do not take steps like this, it won’t happen.

What do you think? To submit a letter to the editor in response to this editorial, log onto www.gazette.net, and click on the Speak Out tab.