Letters: Trash tax: Pain & opportunity

YET AGAIN, we the taxpayers will be punished for the thieves in office. Now the mayor is talking taxing trash - is this a joke? What has the city been doing with our taxes? If they were spending our money correctly, by now they should be able to give back to us.

Grace Faiella, Philadelphia

There may be ways to reduce the cost of trash collection that will be more acceptable than the proposed fee.

The city could implement a new collection policy requiring property owners who own property within 150 feet of an intersection to carry their trash cans and bags to the intersection, where they'd be picked up. Those whose address isn't within the 150-foot distance to the intersection would carry their trash to the middle of the block next to their property.

The crews wouldn't collect any cans or bags not stacked at the pickup point. There is no need to fine people who disregard the rules. The penalty would be that the violators' trash would not be collected.

This proposal would the reduce collection costs, because collection crews would ride the trucks, instead of walk, from corner to corner. I'm not suggesting that the city reduce the number of collectors, but less work would reduce overtime.

And if the city still used "walk-the-block routes" for recycling, it would be an incentive to recycle because people wouldn't have to carry the buckets to the nearest intersection.

EuGene Miller, Philadelphia

Kudos, Dan

Thanks to Dan Geringer for his wonderful story on Tim Kinniry's new home and his newfound independence. Tim's accessible apartment, retrofitted by Liberty Resources with funding from the city, is but one example of how the city expands housing options and revitalizes neighborhoods.

These projects happen when for-profit and nonprofit developers collaborate with the city. Using public and private dollars, they provide homeownership opportunities, rehabilitate deteriorating buildings and increase the supply of affordable apartments.

Deborah McColloch, Director

Office of Housing and Community

Development, Philadelphia