Sometimes, you just need to respond to an article you read. “Commentators” of a report issued by the Earth Policy Institute believe it is likely that Americans are starting to lose their love for their cars. Apparently, the American auto fleet contracted by 2% this last year and according to those commentators, it’s a sure sign of a continued and prolonged contraction. They are totally forgetting that the US government deleted 750,000 vehicles from the fleet with “Cash for Clunkers” and that we have witnessed the worst recession in decades, causing many people to put off buying not only cars but many other high ticket items. The only reason we could see a continued contraction for now is the reluctance to open up the purse strings until there are much better signs that the recession is behind us. Wishful thinking is what it is and nothing more. The love affair is very likely to continue as soon as the economy stabilizes – whether that’s good in your book or bad, it’s still the most likely answer.

A friend over in Greensboro, NC (who I have never officially met except in cyberspace) has supplied a series on his blog about preparing scrap metals for recycling. Since I got behind in my reference to these articles, I thought I better catch up. So, here they are all at once:

• Part 7
• Part 8
• Part 9
• Part 10

I hope you found them as informative as I did. Thanks, RecycleBills!

So, why is it that most of the electric cars being made out there have to be so small? What about people with families? What about if you need to take a trip? Where do you put the luggage? I understand that even the small ones will help with the environment but why start out with such a limitation in size?

I can certainly respect a city’s desire to maintain a clean, orderly look. Trashy neighborhoods tend to attract criminal elements and encourage further unkempt yards and businesses and the cycle continues. In their efforts to reduce unsightly paper waste, the Dallas City Council passed an ordinance restricting the number of collection bins in any given location and mandating screens and weekly pick up.

On the surface, this might seem restrictive and a move that will reduce the amount of recycling in the city. The main reason for the ordinance appears to be to get AbitibiBowater, a commercial paper company that manages 562 recycling bins, to keep their bins from regularly overflowing.

My initial reaction was, “Yeah, stop telling them how to run their business.” However, the more I thought about it, the more I saw that if AbitibiBowater can’t handle serving their customer, the city of Dallas, then they should get out of the business. Most recycling companies recognize the importance of picking up bins regularly and that moving material through the process is the best way to make money.

Letting material sit around, accumulating to the point of overflowing bins not only is poor customer service, it also reduces your cash flow. Both these symptoms are early indicators of a company that won’t last very long. If it continues, it looks like Dallas may need to find another contractor that appreciates the value of good customer service.

My sincerest apologies to all who follow this blog. Due to circumstances beyond my control, this blog experienced a host of problems and was down for some time. And, as you can see, there are still some minor issues. How good it feels to be back up and running. Stay tuned as I post several articles I have wanted to publish for several days. I look forward to your comments.