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Letters to the Editor

Compiled by Vail Daily staff
Vail CO, Colorado

Story missed the point

The Vail Daily picks a great headline and misses the real story: “Vail Councilman defies bear ordinance”. This is a life safety issue. It is about a bear-proof Dumpster with steel plate lids that are not user-friendly and dangerous.

The problem lies with the trash service company’s attitude towards our town’s wildlife ordinance and their unwillingness to come up with a viable solution. Their attitude is “too bad, that is what you get.” It was my hope they would understand the importance of protecting our environment and the positive outcome that will result from Ordinance #20-2006 rather than complaining that “we have to unlatch a lid before we dump it” or “it is going to take me longer to do my route.”



I was quoted as saying I was frustrated by the lack of communication from Waste Management. That is not accurate. I did state I was frustrated by the lack of cooperation in coming up with a more user-friendly Dumpster lid. They communicate all right. They communicated it was not their problem, implying they didn’t care. This is evident by Jerry Valasquez’s comments that he has only had a few complaints from “little old ladies”. Don’t they care about little old ladies? It is only going to take one of them to get injured and my point hits home.

Rather than take the high road and embrace a positive move by our town to keep wildlife and our environment safer they chose the low road and considered it a burden. That is really unfortunate. I don’t believe this is the kind of stewardship this valley wants, accepts or deserves.

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We will build a bear-proof enclosure to house our Dumpster prior to Aug. 1 to be compliant with the ordinance. In the meantime we will rig their Dumpster the best we can to keep everyone safe and keep the bears at bay.

In light of the headlines the Daily chose to use I guess they prefer controversy over solutions. I guess controversy fosters higher readership numbers.

I asked Ed Stoner to do a story to help get the waste companies on board with a safer lid and in the end I am in violation of our town ordinance.

Sorry, in a way I am, but I had to make a choice and I chose safety and just shake my head at an unwilling partner in our community.

I would only ask they take the high road and be concerned about all the “little old ladies” in our community and the younger ones, too. Thanks.

Farrow Hott

Vail Town Councilman

Reduce, reuse, recycle

Austin Richardson raises the question of how effective recycling is, and is right on one level. On its own, recycling really doesn’t do much. When used in conjunction with the three ‘R’s of conservation, recycling is very useful.

What I am talking about is the phrase that we all see regularly ” reduce, reuse, recycle. We must first reduce the waste we create. Then reuse what we can. If waste still remains, we recycle what is left.

Taylor Ryan

Eagle


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