Washington’s recycling rate drops and John Curley is to blame

Washington state’s recycling rate dropped in 2013 and KIRO Radio’s John Curley is part of the problem.

“Throw it all in there … I can’t be bothered.”

Careless Seattle residents (or blatant rule breakers) will start seeing fines July 1 on their bills – $1 per violation, $50 for a commercial or apartment building – for improper recycling. Warning tags will begin Jan. 1.

Garbage collectors will peek in the trash bin to see if more than 10 percent of the waste is food scraps and recyclable materials.

Of course, the new fine doesn’t apply to John, who lives in Sammamish. He would gladly pay the $2 difference to simply avoid touching the spent coffee grounds.

“Our recycle man used to leave ‘oops’ notes all over the place. He finally got so mad, he left a hand written note telling us, ‘I am not a garbage man.’ He was upset and insulted.”

John said they felt so bad for him, they eventually wrote a note claiming they went through a recycling intervention. The Curley household is now better about what’s tossed out – sort of.

“I don’t believe in recycling and I don’t believe in food courts.”

The recycling rate dropped from 1 percent, from 50 to 49 percent in 2013, according to the Washington Department of Ecology. However, the state remains well above the national average, which was about 35 percent in 2012.

Here’s the acceptable list of recyclables.

NOTE: Thankfully, John’s wife and children are avid recyclers.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.