I have been a resident of PTC for eight years. Initially I elected to use Waste Management Services for my trash pick-up, paying additional for them to pick up my recyclables.

To my dismay, I discovered that they were dumping both my trash and recycling, crushing them together and then dumping all contents into the landfill.

After numerous calls to the managers of Waste Management, endless phone messages inquiring as to the recycling company they were supposedly using for my recycling (you know one that went through mounds of trash in the landfill to pick out the smashed recycled articles) I was tired of the run-around and unanswered calls so I promptly dumped them as my trash carrier.

I chose another smaller trash company and personally recycled myself at the PTC recycling center, which over time became burdensome.

Then an individual small business contractor, Stone Bridge Recycling, came to my home and talked genuine recycling. Patrick, the owner who experienced first hand the big trash companies’ failure to properly dispose of recyclable materials, decided to start his company dedicated solely to weekly recycle pick-up for $7 per month.

He took everything, paper, cardboard, metal, aluminum, Styrofoam and glass. We were very pleased with his service and our weekly trash can was almost empty.

When council passed the ordinance that all trash companies must now provide recycling, we were back at square one. Basically, the big trash companies could again fool everyone into believing they were recycling, and Stone Bridge was out of business, not allowed to pick-up recycling only.

So an honest to goodness small businessman is out of a job, his family facing financial ruin because of an ordinance passed by council.

Granted, concern with big trucks pounding our streets daily from several different trash collectors prompted this action.

I do not see how allowing numerous trash companies free access while keeping one small recycling company off the streets makes logistical or economic sense.

I also spoke to Betsy Tyler, who is in charge of this situation in PTC, and asked how she would be able to discern the facts from the fraud with respect to tonnage numbers on paper from the companies.

It is very easy to fudge the facts on paper even when these companies have been spotted dumping the trash with the recycled together. Trash companies are just that, interested only in trash, which is big business.

Recycling has become a thorn in their side, and they will say whatever it takes to do business here.

I say leave the trash to the trash people and recycling to the recycle business and give our planet a real chance, one small step at a time.

Donna Groover

Peachtree City, Ga.