Better think twice before tossing trash into a recycling bin. Or helping yourself to the newspapers or other materials inside. Both actions would be a crime under a bill passed by the House.
The bill's sponsor, Rep. David Ostler, R-Salt Lake City, said Boy Scouts have complained that newspapers collected for recycling have been ruined by wet garbage thrown into the bins.Instead of making money from selling the newspapers to companies that turn them into new sheets of newsprint, the Scouts end up paying to dispose of the soggy mess, Ostler said.
His bill, approved 65-0, makes misusing a recycling bin an infraction that carries a maximum fine of $750. Putting trash in a bin marked for recycling is a violation, as well as stealing from such a bin.