I had just watched Trashopolis on the National Geographic Channel; it featured Paris France. \u00a0On it they showed the history of excess trash and how Paris\u00a0overcame\u00a0it. \u00a0From the principal of rag pickers, they created city sponsored enterprises. \u00a0 Back in the 1800’s a rag picker would be a person or persons who who would pick through trash, fix or clean items and resell the items at flee markets.<\/p>\n
With the city sponsored enterprises, the\u00a0entrepreneurs\u00a0would run a depot where citizens would drop of batteries, old appliances, clothing and other items. \u00a0 The depots would then clean, fix or re-purpose the items for donation or resale. \u00a0 This seems to be cutting down on garbage, increasing recycling efforts and\u00a0ultimately\u00a0saving the city from garbage. \u00a0As an added bonus, the people running the depots run routes that would allow them to pick up items from vendors, shop owners and households. \u00a0 I can really see the\u00a0benefits\u00a0here.<\/p>\n
London Ontario every year discuss what they can do to save trash costs, increase recycling efforts and work on new contracts with garbage collectors. \u00a0Not once I had heard of the idea of a city sponsored enterprise being setup to fix, clean and re-purpose items for resale or donations. \u00a0This would also help the city\u00a0encourage\u00a0entrepreneurship, increase arts and crafts and hit the international stage for becoming more Green. <\/p>\n
I think for thing to work, the city would only have to find a person to run things, donate a building and help build a business plan for the person to start. \u00a0This would be a great venture for a young person with a basic knowledge of electronics and business, recruit some local artists to help re-purpose items and you could have a good little business helping the city to become more green.<\/p>\n
May be worth while sending a small team of business and city officials to places like Paris who seemingly are doing things a little better.<\/p>\n