By Katherine Crowell
The Daily Times - Salisbury, Md.
Aug. 27, 2007

SALISBURY -- A crew of about a dozen men from city Public Works recently went on a mission for a hot recycling commodity -- cardboard.
The Dumpster divers tackled about 16 Salisbury trash receptacles and saved 730 pounds of cardboard from going to the Wicomico County landfill.
Even though the city Public Works offers cardboard pickup Mondays, many residents continue to throw the material into their regular trash, said the city's Recycling Coordinator Harry White. Additionally, the city does not enforce an ordinance that requires the management of multifamily dwellings to allow tenants to participate in the city's recycling program by providing recycling containers to residents.
City officials could save Salisbury thousands of dollars if they mandated recycling, White said. Last month the city dumped about 882 tons of trash into the county landfill at a cost of about $46,000, White said. The $46,000 bill from Wicomico County for tipping fees could have been cut in half if cardboard was taken out of the trash.
By keeping recycling a voluntary endeavor and not enforcing the recycling ordinance, the city will continue to lose money and harm the environment, White said.
"It shouldn't be if you're interested -- recycle," he said, adding that less than one-third of Salisbury residents recycle. "It should be mandatory."