News You Can Reuse

When it comes to the City Council’s new bill banning the pilfering of curbside recyclables, where the Times fears to tread, the Post understands what we most want to know:

Sanitation officials say their staff has witnessed unmarked trucks with out-of-state plates carting materials meant to be recycled. The current penalty for taking recyclables is only $100. Since January, 128 summonses have been issued.

The new law is aimed solely at those who come with trucks or cars — not people who simply rummage through trash looking for treasures.

“This is not a bill that goes after the occasional garbage pilferer,” [Councilman Michael] McMahon said, “or somebody who is looking for a new couch for their college room or picking up recyclables with a push cart.”