Beaver Island Michigan

Kate
I think I will stay with my capitalist bent on this one.

“To each according to his need and from each according to his ability”, has always been a great sound bite. However, in reality, those with the most, who are usually those who have the most to gain, end up gaming the system.
Yes, there are lots of amassed junk piles on this island.

New owners, (the ones that assumedly factored in the cost of existing junk removal in the purchase price) should be responsible for their own predicament.

But what about the long standing and established owner, or the generational owners who have been amassing junk. Why haven’t they been dealing with the issue all along?
There have been several barge runs I have witnessed over the past four and a half decades.
Many of the long term owners took good advantage of those runs, others didn’t. They all had their reasons.

Before the Transfer Station or Island Treasures were established, there was, “Four Corners K-Mart”, where recycling was in practice long before it “caught on” over on the mainland.
Perhaps the junk just doesn’t bother some folks like it does you or me.

I’m sure there are many who would love to see an island wide clean up financed on the public dollar. Long neglected junk piles would come out of the woodwork. Ye ha!

Full time,voting eligible residents, the 6% (+-) , who, logically, are producing the excess merely by their full time occupation of the island, would be able to dissolve their junk problems by having the other 94% of we non full time residents foot the majority of the bill.
Yes, the problem is complicated.

Me? I don’t have a junk problem. My property is clear.
The person I bought my current property sold it to me clear of debris. It has been kept that way.
I have made numerous trips to the land fill ($$$) over the decades cleaning previous properties and also made friends there over the years.

The vast majority of island property owners have maintained their properties clear of junk.

I appreciate the fact that eyesore junk piles can depress property values. Perhaps, the ones who own and operate in such manner should be the ones pressured into cleaning up their own act and not have the rest of us have to pay for it.

If you can see junk from the road as you pass by, that is the person you should be having a conversation with. Ask them to join your cause, stress to them all your concerns and good reasons to clean up their act.
Put the responsibility where it belongs.

Yes, miss beanstalk - this concern is very much what’s behind the interest and importance here.

The logistics.

Where do things end. Where does trash go, other than re-use and scrapping for money.

Lets say... When we fill, or fill some portion of a barge that we hire - do we go over on the boat, and then unload everything into trash bags when we land on the mainland?

I don’t know. Hoping to learn.

I understand the logic of "putting the responsibility" on the ones who own and/or have amassed the junk we're discussing. But appealing to the logic of someone who doesn't get rid of junk and hazardous material is illogical itself, and therefore completely ineffective.

So, at this point, I propose two things, and I will do them. Anyone who wants to help me, text me at 231-448-2035.

1) I will research what other islands have done about this, so we don't reinvent the wheel,
AND
2) I'll see if I can find a way to make this actually FUN! After 10 years of taking care of my sick husband, I am ready for some FUN!!!! And I don't think there's any LOGICAL reason some fun and light-heartedness can't be incorporated into this effort. Let's not focus on blame. Let's move forward!

Completely agree! We’re in and sounds fun! Just sent you a text and happy to help provide any resources we can to the mix, even if just a zoom meeting to do introductions and start the planning process. Onward and upward! Thank you.