Boycott Blue Bag Collection

A few days ago Halifax City Councillors said they were going to beef up enforcement of the scavenging law especially as it relates to people taking recyclables. The city is saying that they are losing thousands of dollars in recovery fees. The law has been on the book for 20 years however never enforced with any vigor. The news reported that the fee will now be doubled for the 1st offense - $337 with even more serious charges to follow if the behaviour continues. The city staff says that this is not "really" about the local guy with a shopping cart collecting bottles off the street, but to address the people driving the big trucks "stealing' large amounts of recyclables.
I say that is a lie!
Let's examine a few things:

1. This news story and increase in fines comes at the beginning of summer - the tourist season - the city has tried many strategies to keep people living on poverty off the downtown streets - not visible to the "buying public" as many find it offensive to see people digging in garbage cans when they are dropping a $1000 dollars on a purse, shoes or tacky souvenir
2. The impact of this story was that the next day( which just happened to be the central downtown collection day) many local bottle collectors were terrified to take out their carts as they feared that they would be targeted and fined
3. A full shopping cart nets a collector about 20$ this might take anywhere from the full morning starting at 5am or 6am - in some cases it may take all day. Then those carts are wheeled to the depot for exchange. This is a long and labor intense process for very little pay out.
4. Most collectors are careful not to make a mess and do not rip open bags leaving garbage everywhere
5. A single person without a disability on Welfare in NS gets a maximum of 508$ a month - this includes rent, and food and anything else they can't buy with that meager sum

So folks you decide - who was this law designed to protect? Who will it hurt? and Why was the story released now?

So I say Boycott the Blue Bag Bottle collection - label your bottles and tell the city you are saving them for your local community collector!