Are trash dumping centers feasible?

Among the shabbiest sights in Newark are trash bins, often overflowing with garbage, plastic, and stink. They represent a costly and clumsy method of trash disposal. It may be time to return to trash-transfer stations to serve individual citizens and small haulers.

The lengths to which citizens of other nations are willing to go to clean up after themselves is revealed in this report by the Washington Post. If the Japanese can work at it this hard, Newark residents can do better than pay their trash-collection bill and deposit their crap on the front sidewalk.

In the past I've preached against any city ordinance that limits private companies from practicing free-enterprise trash hauling. I've recently realized, however, that what we have in Newark are a few big companies in ever-bigger trucks, ones that can afford - by virtue of large loads of trash - the long trip to a faraway landfill. Little guys in little trucks are no longer in competition and prices reflect that.

Instead of this, why couldn't we set up within the metro area a few city and/or regional dumping centers for residents? I think most folks would haul their own stuff to save money if such centers were conveniently located, kept clean, safe, fast, and were reasonably priced. Incentive prices for sorting could be used to encourage recycling and composting.

Citizens could still hire people to haul their trash, but not from the front sidewalk. Haulers would have to use small trucks because they would would pick up from alleys, driveways, or garages - as they did in the old days.

Outlawing trash bins from city sidewalks would provide self-employment opportunities, lower heavy truck traffic on city streets, while beautifying and sanitizing residential neighborhoods.

The answer for whether this is a dumb idea or not is found at the bottom line. Could it be done with little or no more expense to residents than we're paying now? That's a question for the experts.