Open letter to Ann Arbor

[simianpower]

To the government of the City of Ann Arbor

Comments

[aerospcgrl]

Why didn't you bring it to Salvation Army and get a receipt that you can then use on your taxes?

[simianpower]

a) I don't make enough money to make itemizing worthwhile, so tax credits like this have no effect.

b) I have no idea where Salvation Army or any of the other charity organizations (Purple Heart, St. Vincent, etc.) are in this town.

I debated taking the clothes and such to a thrift store and trying to get a few bucks, but by that point I was so fed up I just dumped them in the homeless freebie bin.

[aerospcgrl]

Salvation Army is on the corner of Industrial and State... and Purple Heart will pick it up from your house.

[jojomojo]

There's also the PTA thrift store on Industrial - we shop quite a bit there and they seem to be nice people (and not Christian-missionary-inclined, which may or may not factor in your decision).

[rev_e]

THese's an extra verse to Goodbye Ann Arbor in here.

[dionysus1999]

Your icon hurts my brain.

[riffalike]

Computer components = hazardous waste. Otherwise, there would never have been an RoHS directive. Suck up the $5 for your contaminants before they hit a landfill.

[judyyu]

I think computer monitors are $10 to recycle. The older ones especially contain lots of heavy elements that leach into the water and requires a lot of energy and special equipment to scrub out and contain - hence they do have to charge something.

The best recycling programs are from the computer companies themselves, but I think they also charge money, twice as much typically. Reusing the old equipment is much more cost-effective, and the places to do this would be going to goodwill or the salvation army.

[airsucker]

You might check out freecycle.org. Ordinary people will come and get your old crap from you if they want it.

[simianpower]

That's not a bad idea. I may be getting rid of a bunch of other stuff soon, possibly even electronics/computer stuff, so that may be worth a try.

[sarahmichigan]

I'm already signed up for freecycle so may be able to help you out. The list gets a shit-ton of traffic.

[judyyu]

"I will never again go out of my way to do the right thing."

That probably isn't what you mean to say.
Apathy and inaction are at the root of many social ills.

[madkingludwig]

Indeed.

[simianpower]

Not as such a blanket statement, no. I've changed it. But I AM now very leery of trying to recycle in this city. I like the option listed above of using freecycle. I tried seeing if anyone on my flist wanted my stuff, but none did, and freecycle would hit a broader audience. I THOUGHT that's what the Reuse Center was for in the first place, but it seems they only take furniture and basic household appliances. This sort of thing is not implemented very well in AA, and when one's trying to pack up to move there isn't a huge load of time available to find the best option.

[airsucker]

The freecycle thing is good for getting rid of stuff, but it is an e-mail list. If you're looking for stuff, I'd go for the daily digest. If not, I go with notices only, so you don't have to read the wants. People are supposed to post those sparingly, but that's never the case.