After reading the news of our town’s newly-passed, soon-to-be-enacted ‘no bins, no barrels’ recycling policy. I must say I was as shocked as I was disappointed to see such an ends-justifies-the-means mentality pass as municipal law.

To its credit, I am aware that greater trash collection has had a negative financial impact on our town with an increase of tipping fees, and – as last week’s editorial pointed out – the new recycling policy can help save taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars every year

But if saving the town money was the primary goal, I am also aware of a 2013 report by the Rhode Island Public Expenditures Council (a non-profit group that measures efficiencies in municipal operations) that suggested the town could save more than $2 million in a five-year period if private haulers were used to collect household trash.

Although potentially unpopular politically, it shows there are more ways to skin a cat if need be. But more importantly, is the factor of government intrusion in our lives – even for a noble cause.

When the government uses ‘whips’ instead of ‘carrot sticks’, it is trying to alter human behavior to either: A. support ‘feel-good’ policies or B: Attempt to take more money from the already burdened tax payers (the latter especially so following this year’s recent tax hike).

On the plus-side, I would like to thank council members Herreshoff and Parella for voting their conscience and not jumping on the enviro-big-Government bandwagon. As for the council members who did vote for the new policy, I realize your intentions were pure and there are valid reasons to encourage positive environmental policies.

But what I cannot let go are the bad ‘what ifs’ enacting the new policy could potentially bring: the elderly and infirm having to drag out two more buckets on their icy driveway in the dead of winter; the steep hiking penalties a further disincentive to current or future working-class Bristol homeowners, and the idea of government telling us what to do flying in the face of the basic tenets enshrined in our Constitution’ – “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.”

Lastly, I would like to look to the future, and ask how this policy change can put us on a slippery slope. A few years ago, neighboring East Bay town - Barrington - enacted a supposedly-“temporary” policy of a plastic bag ban. Another ‘feel-good’ policy, it went on to force town businesses to use paper bags (or charge customers for bio-degradable plastic 10-cents a bag).

The people of Barrington did nothing. Now that policy is municipal law. How much further are ‘We The People’ of Bristol going to let ‘feel-good’ policy dictate the freedom of human behavior?

Will Sousa Grapentine

112 Mulberry Rd.

Although the author is a member of Bristol's Republican Committee he wrote this letter on his own behalf.