Throwing Away your Money Essay -- Environment, Trash Collection

Section OneResidents may be throwing away to a greater extent than trash when the city run garbage trucks collect their rubbish. Government run solid waste collection courts approximately twenty-five percent more than than when a private contract company is utilized. (Teel 1993) The concept of privatizations of solid waste collection services is nothing new. This change from using government employees and government owned trucks and landfills to contracting with a private company for solid waste collection is a trend that is getting more attention lately. The move to privatization is usually goaded by the desire for cost savings. (Hyres, 2010) in that respect is much debate over the quality of public versus private contracts of municipal services. The other branch of this debate is the cost benefits to taxpayers. One of these municipal services is solid waste collection. Waste services can be broken down into three areas, all of which are gettable to be contracted out to private companies. The stages are collection of solid waste from households and businesses, recycling (collection and processing), and disposal of non-recyclable products at landfills. (Wright & Nebel, 2002) There are costs incurred for each(prenominal) stage especially at the landfill. From the collection, to the sorting, to final disposal all of this ends up being a costly process for the taxpayer. In this economic climate, many cities are facing budget shortfalls and waste collection is getting close attention. Medina County is no exception, Medina is looking for ways to save, and more efficiently use taxpayers money. One workable option is to privatize garbage collection. The policy for solid waste management in Medina County needs to be amended from being a flow-control system manag... ...it. There will be resistance with privatization, but it is still worthwhile. It is an option that needs to be thoroughly considered. To minimize resistance and job loss, it can be put across for a company to hire some city workers in the contract. (Hyres, 2010)The benefits of privatization are undeniable. Privatization manages liabilities, improves efficiency, cuts costs, and improves accountability. (Raphaelson, 1998) Between the economic conditions, and local governments being faced with many projects that need taxpayers dollars, it is a good time to push for privatization of garbage collection and landfills. It is a very difficult decision for an elected official to make, but todays economy is giving them the political cover to make the move towards privatization, and if it is done properly, it is a win-win decision for all involved. (Segal, 2000)