TRASH LIMITS, EXPANDED RECYCLING STARTS MONDAY

Recycling will take on a new importance on Monday. That's the day the city of Cape Girardeau will begin strict enforcement of its three-bag trash limit. The enforcement will be accompanied by expanded recycling as a way for people to cut down on their refuse. The city will add tin and metal can recycling along with weekly collections for plastic, glass, aluminum and newspapers and corrugated cardboard.

Citizens should pay close attention to these new guide~lines so they're not left with surplus bags of trash this week.

The three-bag limit has been a long-standing provision in the solid waste ordinance but it has never been enforced. Since trash collections were reduced from twice to once weekly last year, crews have generally continued to collect almost any number of bags put out. This crackdown was recommended by the Solid Waste Task Force as a way for those who produce more trash to pay for it.

The new guidelines are quite specific. No longer will numerous small bags of trash be accepted by the city. The trash limits specifically include three 32-gallon bags or three 32-gallon cans. Additional trash will only be accepted if it is placed in special bags marked with the city's insignia. These bags cost $2 each and can be purchased at local merchants, the Finance Department at City Hall or the Public Works Department.

City officials are hoping this stricter enforcement will encourage more people to recycle. The city is working toward compliance with a 1991 state law that calls for a 40 percent reduction in the amount of solid wastes going into Missouri's landfills by 1998. From October to December of last year, recyclables diverted about 16.5 percent of Cape Girardeau's trash from the landfill. Achieving that 40 percent goal will require much greater participation in the next five years.

Trash collection is not cheap. Cape Girardeau's landfill is filled up and closed. Strict state and federal laws and public outcry against living near a landfill make it difficult to open new ones. Many cities, including Cape Girardeau, are opting to transfer their trash to other locations and that transportation drives up the costs.

Last month, the city was able to divert more than 132,000 pounds of glass, plastic, aluminum, cardboard, newspapers, appliances and compost through its recycling program. Since last July, more than 1.4 million pounds about 700 tons of recyclables have been collected. That marks an increase of about 440,000 pounds over the previous year.

Recycling is not difficult, nor time consuming. And believe it or not looking for that recycling logo can become habit forming. Recycling may also be the only way many of us can remain within the three-bag weekly limit. It's not something we have to do simply to help the city it's something we ought do to help ourselves, our children, and our environment.