Opinion | Prince Georges residents are making too much of a stink about trash collection

Regarding the Aug. 9 Metro article "Complaints about trash pile up in Pr. George's":

I live in an independent Prince George’s County city with once-a-week trash pickup and find it more than adequate, especially with the once-a-week mixed-recycling pickup also provided. Hopefully, the citizens concerned about enough service in the unincorporated parts of the county also have and are using recycling pickup, especially considering the recycling center in our county. The county-run Brown Station dump is also open to private citizens for trash drop-off. The county executive is right to manage the cost of trash services. Most of us are managing fine with once a week.

Sallie McElrath, Hyattsville

The decision to cut twice-a-week garbage collection to once a week is a reasonable response to budget overruns. In today's world of tight budgets, many cities have made this transition, particularly with the introduction of recycling, which reduces the amount of garbage to be collected.

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The problem of smelly garbage is real, which makes it important for Prince George’s County to continue to implement composting in the county. Without food waste in the garbage cart, the smells are mitigated. Food-waste composting has the added benefit of creating more jobs and of producing compost — a made-in-Maryland product — that enhances local soils and the ability to grow local food.

Neil Seldman, Washington

The writer is director of the Recycling and
Economic Growth Initiative for the
Institute for Local Self-Reliance.

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