REDUCE, REUSE, ETC.
Letters to the editor REDUCE, REUSE, ETC. Barbara Morans article on the challenges Boston faces in raising recycling rates through a single-stream strategy (Out of Sorts, July 14) captures key factors as we weigh the cost, quantity, and quality of recycled materials.
REDUCE, REUSE, ETC.
Letters to the editor
REDUCE, REUSE, ETC.
Barbara Moran’s article on the challenges Boston faces in raising recycling rates through a single-stream strategy (“Out of Sorts,” July 14) captures key factors as we weigh the cost, quantity, and quality of recycled materials. But it leaves out one important component: the workers. Just because a job is “green” doesn’t mean it is safe and well paid. The broken glass mentioned in the article is not just a “quality issue” but one of many hazardous exposures for these workers, such as unknown chemicals, dead animals, and blood-borne pathogens. Boston’s recycling processors are exempt from the city’s living wage ordinance, providing mostly temporary and minimum wage employment. As the next mayor of Boston writes new contracts for recycling services, let’s make sure he or she factors in all the costs: environmental and human.
Tolle Graham
Labor Environment Coordinator MassCOSH (MA Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health)
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