A recent vote by Alpena County commissioners regarding an opt-out fee for county recycling highlights the fact that county officials have a long way to go to educate the public on the subject.

The fact that commissioners themselves split their vote 5-3 on the issue adds credence to the assertion this issue is a divided one. At the meeting commissioners removed the opt-out option for county residents.

The truth of the matter is most people support recycling on some level. Where the problem arises is whether they should be taxed for recycling, and if so, what is a fair amount for the county to charge.

Many residents are upset they never have had the option to vote on this charge. That fact was acknowledged at the recent meeting by Commissioner Cam Habermehl.

“This was tough because we are imposing a tax they didn’t vote for,” Habermehl said. “On the flip side if we want to continue to have recycling we needed to do it. I don’t think it would be able to survive without it.”

We believe commissioners would have been wise to have kept the opt-out provision in place for a while longer, or at least until a better job of educating the public had been done. Even if curbside recycling was nearly ready for the county, the opt-out issue might have fared better. Or, commissioners could have placed the issue on the ballot and let the voters speak on the matter.

By doing none of the above, commissioners had better hope the public doesn’t adopt a recycling program of their own at the polling places when commission terms expire.