Re. “Trash puzzle confronts Summit County officials,” SDN, Jan. 26

Maybe it is time for our county to consider outsourcing this operation. Let free enterprise work, not big government.

When our trash disposal costs in Summit County are so high that it makes more economic sense to haul all this trash over (or through) the Continental Divide 100 miles to another county landfill, our government here needs to get out of the trash business. When our county is getting $43 to $53 more per ton than other landfills and they have the only landfill in the county and they still want more money, then something more than recycling costs makes this operation seriously broken.

I hope the county commissioners as well as the town councils will get together to discuss and take bids on this operation from private operators. The monopoly in the county is already set up for them. Years ago each town had its own dump. Our dump site in Breckenridge was on Wellington Road — and free!

It seems that now is the time that privatizing might make sense. Band-Aids are just another waste for delay when serious surgery is needed. Bid it out, license it like other utilities and let free enterprise run it. Reduce our county taxes by having those who use the service paying for it just like the smart people who run the Breckenridge Sanitation District — costs are based on user fees, not mil levies.