Ode to the city of Richland for its prestigious awards and efforts. Richland may appear to be going "green," however I am not buying into it. First the city awarded a business with a "Green" award, and now a "robot" character is reading to children. These are great concepts to encourage recycling. However, how prestigious is this award coming from a city that actually discourages its residents from recycling?

If you participate in the voluntary recycling program in Richland, you will be charged extra. Some residents have two garbage cans. Why is this an option? Why is the city wasting resources patting businesses on the back for something they should all be required to do? Why are we using "robots" to teach our youth and not leading by example?

Schools and residents should all be recycling. The best way to encourage our youth to recycle is by doing it! The fee should be placed on those who contribute more to landfill waste, such as businesses, and not those who are trying to do the right thing. Nearly 75 percent of waste is recyclable, yet only 25percent of people recycle. Perhaps instead of handing out senseless accolades and creating silly mascots, the city should focus on how to flip that statistic.

ROCEL DIMMICK, Richland