In Frederick County, we have a trash problem. The county has already implemented a new recycling program, which has helped reduce my own trash flow by nearly 60 percent.

Some county officials are even looking at Montgomery County as a possible example, who have strict trash and recycling laws that carry fines if you throw something out that could have been recycled.

With all of these other ideas going around, the least popular is a waste to energy incinerator in the Jefferson area. It would provide a few new jobs (which is a plus in the current economy), it would lower energy costs in the area, and would also give us a alternative destination for our trash besides the land fill.

People get all worked up about it, the biggest complaint being the environmental impact. Sure, it puts out smoke and pollutants, but it is arguably better than throwing all of our trash in a big hole for ever and trying to forget about it.

The other issue that comes up a lot is the location. A big building that looks like a factory is a bit hard to hide, but there are plenty of places off the beaten path in the area (half of the county is in the country, by the way) and still accessible.

The recycling effort is nice, and I’ll admit the new implementation is great for reducing trash flow. But we will still have trash all around the county that needs to go somewhere. Why not help out our energy and trash problem in one blow?