City sanitation services are not a constitutional right. Public sanitation is only executed by the city to help citizens dispose of accumulated waste to improve overall city health and beautify the streets for tourists.
We in New Orleans have been blessed with a generous sanitation system. What would The Big Easy do without the lemon-scented deodorizer that local sanitation company SDT sprays on the sidewalks in the French Quarter? We have assumed such luxuries into our routine. We believe we deserve to have someone else constantly checking our diapers and cleaning up our mess.
Many people here even designate an entire Carnival season to getting wasted and to trashing the city in the name of fun. Given that I am from New Orleans, I, too, believe Mardi Gras is the time to let loose, although to offset the excesses of Fat Tuesday, we should act conscientiously for the rest of the year.
Now in the wake of Mayor Ray Nagin’s decision to cut most city contracts and offices by 10 percent, trash crews will take longer to clean the city. JNE Enterprises Inc., which collects construction detritus, roadside trash, and trash in parks, will be laid off in March. Mardi Gras cleanup crews will be pared down.
This is all happening during, or due to, the global economic crisis. Every municipality must change, even the Crescent City. Who can be upset with Nagin for stepping up? Perhaps the fines for littering will be enforced as strictly as they recently have been for traffic. May God help our crime cameras to function and to catch city litterbugs.
Trash is a lucrative business because everyone makes waste. After next year’s pay cuts, city sanitation contractor Richard’s Disposal is projected to receive a flat rate of $14.3 million. Overall, the Nagin administration proposes spending $38 million in 2010 on sanitation.
It is up to New Orleanians to decide whether we want to help the city or to let it fail. Although there is no money for a city-wide recycling program, the city is abundant with free, private drop-off points for recyclables. Diminishing landfill space is a reality, and there is rarely a good reason to throw away anything valuable, such as tin, plastic, or paper.
Tossing refuse, such as fruit rinds and even old rags into the mound of dirt and leaves that accumulates after raking the yard is the essence of a compost pile. The value of the compost is seen after a few months when it can be used to grow strong, happy plants, or even to replenish land that washes away after a storm. (A note for beginners: salt and oils should be kept from the soil since these ingredients are corrosive and attract pests.)
New Orleanians can see how these outcomes of re-use are better for our valuable garbage than for it to sit in a remote, poisonous landfill. It is the individual’s job to manage his own daily byproducts. The community must be educated to know that even their garbage has worth.
Who Dat!
