Please Keep the Office of Environmental Quality funded and expand curbside recycling To: Councilman Chris Bortz, Concilwoman Laurie Quinlivan, and Councilman Charlie Winburn We, concerned residents of Cincinnati respectfully request that you fully fund the Office of Environmental Quality and expand curbside recycling. We believe a green city attracts jobs and development, especially for young professionals. We also know that OEQ’s efforts to cut the City’s carbon foot print have resulted in significant energy cost savings for the City and that increased recycling saves the City in landfill and other fees. OEQ’s energy audits have already saved Cincinnati $400,000 through efficiency. In addition, because of OEQ’s leadership, Cincinnati has switched to natural gas, saving city residents $300,000. Finally, in the course of these energy audits, OEQ discovered that Duke has been accidentally overcharging the City $50,000 a year resulting in a sizeable reimbursement check and significant savings moving forward. Currently, more than 40 percent of eligible households participate in the city’s recycling program, diverting more than 12,000 tons from the landfill. With the implementation of an enhanced program, we could divert 37,000 tons of material from the waste stream each year, saving the city an estimated $4.6 million in tipping fees over the next 10 years. Implementing the enhanced recycling program would also help chip away at the city’s growing budget deficit, as it is projected to save the city $300,000 in 2010 over and above the cost of the program. Additionally, residents would have more than $200 in additional spending power each year, with the potential of injecting $20 million back in the local economy, by adopting the RecycleBank program in which retailers pay for discounts and free merchandise to be used as incentives for active recyclers. A vote for OEQ and expanded recycling is a vote for a green, sustainable and efficient Cincinnati. Thank you, Cincinnati’s Green Movement Please add your appropriate comments as they make the case that much stronger. Please use the link on the right hand side of the page to share this link on Facebook and help get the word out. As free users, we have no control over the adds ipetitions runs on these pages, nor do you need to pay any money to use any of these services.