Why should I pay extra to recycle when my neighbors just throw everything away?

That used to be my philosophy, and I avoided paying the extra charge for a recycling bin in Overland Park for several years.

This morning, coming back from the gym, I noticed the mounds of trash at my neighbor's street front. It was way more trash than a five-person family needs to generate, and it's a decent amount every week.

"If only they would recycle, half of that stuff wouldn't go to landfills," my wife said.

The problem is in Overland Park, Kan., the city's trash contract makes you pay extra for the privilege of doing the right thing for the community and the planet as a whole. Recycling costs $3 a month, on top of $16 for trash disposal.

As one of the largest cities in the state, and certainly one of the most progressive, it seems recycling should simply be figured into the trash service. About 44% of Overland Park households recycle, according to the Kansas City Star. That figure would surely be much higher if it were not for the surcharge.

Nearby Lenexa has a mandatory recycling fee, and nearly 70% of households participate.

Overland Park's city council approved such a recycling fee in October 2008. Consumer backlash was so severe that the council quickly rescinded the measure by a 9-2 vote. The council may take up the matter again, and if they do, here's one way it could be done: trash pickup fees go up for everyone, and now the fee just so happens to include recycling too. Do that for $17.50 a month and I'm sold.

I'm normally not a fan of backdoor regulations, but it really does irk me that, by recycling, I pay a financial penalty for doing the right thing.