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residents are avid recyclers. She said it does not make sense to pay for a service that will <br /> never be used. She said the residents live on a private gravel road, and her house, which is <br /> the closest to the road, is still four-tenths of a mile from the curb. She said if she is going to <br /> put the materials in her car, she is going to take it on to the convenience center. She asked for <br /> a restoration of hours at the convenience centers. She supports recycling in Orange County, <br /> but she asked the Board not to charge those residents that will never use this service. <br /> Anita (Sue) Kinzer said there are a lot of residents who are retired and appreciate the <br /> curbside service, but the potential cost is a concern. <br /> Marsha Efland said she lives on Brookhollow Road in Elfand, and she is supportive of <br /> recycling but not of this proposed program. She said she is opposed to this tax because it <br /> taxes each parcel of land, regardless of whether there is a residence on the parcel or not. She <br /> said this is not similar to the fire tax, as the fire service can be utilized on each parcel of land <br /> that a person owns, but the recycling cannot be used. She strongly urged the Board to <br /> consider other options rather than the district tax. <br /> Ralph Teal said he lives on Stoneridge Drive in Chapel Hill. He said he recycles, and <br /> he is opposed to a one-size-fits-all tax. He said the previous fee was fine and the system <br /> should go back to something like this, or a tiered system that allows residents to pay based on <br /> what residents use. He agreed with the points made about vacant land, and he said this is just <br /> another form of tax increase. <br /> James Lea lives on Mill Creek Road and is a member of the Orange County Planning <br /> Board. He is here to oppose this proposed tax. He said he supports recycling and waste <br /> reduction, but it should not be done on the backs of citizens. He said he is less than a mile <br /> from his solid waste convenience center. He said this is a great center, and he sees no need <br /> to add a curbside service in addition to what the residents already have in the rural part of the <br /> County. He said he sees no reason to tax residents for something that is already being <br /> offered. He asked the Board of Commissioners to offer an opt-out option for residents in the <br /> northern part of rural Orange County. <br /> Hillel Koren said he would like to withdraw his comment. <br /> Peter Thorn said he lives on Butler Road, and he is generally in favor of government <br /> doing things for others that they cannot do for themselves; however he cannot support this <br /> proposed plan. He said he and his neighbors are avid recyclers, and they are better off <br /> without this new tax. He said this will only increase cost, and it will not comprehensively gather <br /> all trash and recycling together. He does not know how many households in the proposed <br /> district pay for a private solid waste collection service. He agreed with the other speakers who <br /> said the best way to improve recycling services is to open up the convenience centers for more <br /> days and hours. <br /> Rob Taylor said he is surprised that Orange County is in this place. He said there are <br /> several counties in North Carolina that are less progressive, less interested in recycling and <br /> less thoughtful about public service, and these counties somehow manage to offer a <br /> countywide curbside recycling program. He listed several of these counties. He said if the <br /> goal is to divert material from disposal, then the opt-out service has proven to be a barrier to <br /> participation. He said the most successful programs in the state make the service available <br /> automatically and provide service to every household with a bin or cart. He said he <br /> understands that the idea of a new fee is unpleasant, and many people are feeling the pinch. <br /> He said the taxpayers are paying to send waste away for disposal, and this cost will be higher <br /> if less people use curbside recycling. He said if the tax service cannot be created, he would <br /> like the Board to explore ways to make the subscription service more likely to be used, such as <br /> pay as you throw and incentivized rates. He asked the Board not to take any action that would <br /> roll back recycling in Orange County. <br />