Caldwell: Guest Opinion: Beware of green elephants

California is about to go over the edge due to the fanaticism of the environmental Left and the hatred of freed by the Progressive Democrats. Between the two, energy cost could triple in less than ten years. The ability to have enough water for a State with 40 million people is not possible, and the cost of projects skyrocket due to unneeded mandates due to junk science and hatred of freedom.

“No surprise that the state of California created a behemoth bureaucracy to regulate and promote recycling and the system is collapsing under its own weight. Another factor? Enterprising criminals who bring in materials from out of state and redeem them for California cash even though no deposit was ever paid for the same. The third explanation is conspiratorial in nature. Local mom-and-pop recycling centers believe the state is not supporting them because they want them to go out of business in favor of curbside recycling programs. This has to do with the fact that the state does not have to pay consumers for what they put in their blue bins.”

In big ways and little one’s, the State of California is the cause of creating an economy with the highest cost of living—and more than 12 million people in poverty—one-third of the State. Instead of understand the problems caused by government, Sacramento wants more environmental laws, more mandates on building, and fewer places allowed for homes or jobs. The recycling issue is just another example of how incompetent government is in running anything—except into the ground and bankruptcy.

Editorials : Guest Opinion: Beware of green elephants

By Andy Caldwell, Santa Barbara News-Press, 1/8/17

One of the biggest problems stemming from our state being run by career politicians, activists and eggheads has to do with their utter contempt for common sense and the laws of nature and markets. These leaders always fail to recognize that too much of a good thing can become a problem. The latest fiasco in the making? Recycling.

Our state has stringent laws that rely on a series of mandates, taxes, fees and penalties to divert recyclable waste from our landfills. What the state completely fails to recognize is that materials are only truly recyclable if there is a market for the materials.

Now, Santa Barbara knows a thing or two about recycling. In fact, the Community Environmental Council back in the day did some pioneering work in this field, before it became like other environmental groups offering ridiculous solutions in search of manufactured problems. Notwithstanding that fact, the influence of the organization lives on in the region and state, as evidenced by the city and the county of Santa Barbara teaming up with a couple of other local jurisdictions to build a $100 million recycling facility — a very expensive green elephant if I ever saw one.

This new facility will be collocated next to the other emerald jewel of the pristine Gaviota Coast, the Tajiguas landfill. Its purpose is to generate oodles of byproducts, including tons of materials to be recycled, electricity by way of a trash digester, and more compost than we will know what to do with. Yet, there is a big problem ahead on this yellow brick road posed by the Wicked Witch of Diminishing Returns and her sister, the Witch of Supply and Demand.

California requires consumers to pay a deposit on containers to encourage recycling. It also fines grocery stores for not having a recycling return center. Nonetheless, recyclers are losing money, hand over fist, because the bottom has dropped out of the market. The more materials these centers bring in, the more money they lose. Hence, they are closing their doors, leaving consumers with bundles of recyclables and nowhere to redeem them. Hence, the deposit paid by consumers is slowly but surely becoming nothing less than a tax.

The never-ending mandates to recycle more and more has helped create a glut on the market for the materials, this, among other considerations, explains why the California system is failing.

No surprise that the state of California created a behemoth bureaucracy to regulate and promote recycling and the system is collapsing under its own weight. Another factor? Enterprising criminals who bring in materials from out of state and redeem them for California cash even though no deposit was ever paid for the same. The third explanation is conspiratorial in nature. Local mom-and-pop recycling centers believe the state is not supporting them because they want them to go out of business in favor of curbside recycling programs. This has to do with the fact that the state does not have to pay consumers for what they put in their blue bins.

There is another aspect to this story that is worth mentioning. Some of the poorest of the poor in our community have managed to eke out an existence by collecting recyclables. These people are now going to be out of a job.

California’s green movement is heading off a cliff due to the failure of our government to recognize, respect or take into consideration private-sector market conditions while promulgating policies and creating associated mandates, taxes, fines and penalties. Thanks to our politicians, even Dumpster diving for cans and bottles in California is becoming unprofitable.

Andy Caldwell is the executive director of COLAB and host of The Andy Caldwell Radio Show, weekdays from 3-5 p.m., on News-Press Radio AM 1290.