I agree w you concering the Goodwill Truck.

However, you have only been there 30 years? Who or what came first?

Do you remember when it was the city DUMP & there was constant fire & noise?

Wasn't the dump there first? Why did you move there?

Now you have posted & used your name. You will probably have to include the noise complaint when you revela things when you sell your house.

Since the recycing center was there first... and you bought your home second, you must have done your due diligence and investigated the facility and any impact it might have on your life. Right? Any reasonable person would have done so.

Whereas Jay knew he was moving to a property highly impacted by the recycling center, his views as living next door offer an opportunity to see close up how the diesel trucks going up and down Schmidt do impact the whole neighborhood (and city). Has the sanitary district researched ways to provide cleaner trucks? There is always room for improvement.

Quit whining and move. The recycling center is not going away.

Largely hostile and unsympathetic responses. What a shame.

The author clearly stated several times that this activities that concern him either began or intensified recently. This implies he had knowledge of the recycling center and it's activities when he moved in but they weren't the nuisance they are now.

I hope some of these problems are solved with the completion of the new recycling center.

I find this so interesting and irritating on different levels. My daughter use to take private fiddle lesson in her teacher's home in El Cerrito. Her teacher had many students. But only one neighbor complained, and complained and complained and called the city numerous times to complain. The city finally had to force teacher's business to go elsewhere. She had to find an affordable space that wasn't too far away from most of her students. The only space she could find was in the "industrial" area of berkeley near the railroad tracks. Isn't it ironic that recycling plant, which is so industrial, has all the rights to make noise and pollution in a residential area, whereas a violin teacher has no rights, and has to move their business into an industrial area. I say complain all you want about the recycling center, because it's 'worth' complaining about. But it probably won't do you any good. Some people think that fiddle music and the comings and goings of children is just as annoying as stinky, noisy trucks. But that neighbor got what they wanted. You probably won't and will have to move.

I love the recycling center, but feel kind of sorry for Jay. Aren't people breaking the law when they are going through stuff after hours, and couldn't he call the police to intervene? There is strength in numbers, Jay. Organize your neighbors to see if you can reach some sort of a compromise. (Fun how the fiddle music story entered into this.) We all have our tolerance levels on a variety of things -- insulation might help?

I find it disheartening that Jay's comments are dubbed "whining" and some folks have suggested he just move out of our community. Why? So someone else can move in and be subjected to to the same indignities? Every real nuisance he outlines is preventable with a modicum of courtesy and attention. Idling drivers need to follow the established laws and after-hours scroungers, who aren't doing ANYONE any favors, should be confronted by law enforcement. I feel for you Jay. I used to live next to People's Park in Berkeley and constantly heard how I should 'just move' because I 'should have known what I was getting into. Ultimately, of course, someone other poor sap moved in after I left and now has to endure the endless human suffering that those insulated from the everyday reality of the place are ultimately unwilling to tackle. While solving the problem of chronic homelessness and the untreated mental illness that underlies it may be a bit too much to ask, dismissing Jay's rather modest suggestions of how to to fix the disruptions around his house seems to be setting the bar for common human decency entirely too low. I'm with you Jay and I'm sorry our collective good (recycling-yay!) has lowered your quality of life so much.

This is just like person who moves next to an airport that has been established for over 50 years and wants to change the flight paths for noise levels. If you move near an area where there is an established business then you should know what to expect. On the other hand if you have a rational argument that activity is going on at the facility outside of the normal business hours then you should be at the City Council Meeting stating your evidence... The general public will unfortunately not have much sympathy for you as they haven't lived in your situation. You do have the right to affect the state of your neighborhood but the name of the game is "compromise".

To be clear on my "whining" in the article I wrote. I really don't have any problem with the recycling center and those trucks that rumble in and out. I knew what I was getting into here when I moved in. In fact I have been a strong supporter of EC recycling program since day one. My beef is with The Goodwill drop off center and the truck drivers who don't think when they block my driveway and idle the diesels. Seriously, it's more of a health matter, be it the cancerous exhaust or the noise pollution. Take your choice. Sunday nights are a big deal here with lots of goodies being dropped off after hours and there is a regular crew of "pickers" who just have to swing by and tear open the bags of clothing etc. so they can have a better look-see. Anyway, I'm not about to move and I believe it's my right to "whine".

By no measure am I poor, but I've never been a property owner. I rent and, up until the last few years, I regretted that family circumstances had kept me from the 'dream of home ownership'. But lately I have come to appreciate the blessings (the flexibility) that my 'lowly status' has conferred upon me.

It's simple: if you rent and the neighborhood changes around you in a way not to your liking...ya move! But if you own? Not so simple.

I've lived near the Recycling Center for about as long as Mr. Cully, although I've never met him. I DO, however, heartily share his impression of the way that the neighborhood has changed in the wake of all the construction at and near the Center. He's right! Some of the folks who hang around the drop-off areas are spooky...like characters from The Night of The Living Dead. Just try to drop off some books and you'll see what I mean.

But here's what I DON'T understand: why are so many commenters being so snarky to and about Mr. Cully? It's mean to call him a 'whiner'. What he wants is what each of us wants: that others behave with some consideration for those around them.

Example; the next time you go to honk your horn to lock your car (a near ubiquitous phenomenon any more), remember that there ARE other people within earshot...and that your convenience is someone else's annoyance.

I can't imagine how one deals with those "scroungers and two-bit thieves" who comes in the death of night to treasure hunt. I have a few that goes through my area's recycling bins in the middle of the night; it is a weird and irritating feeling having my privacy invaded like that. I imagine his problems are worse so close to the recycling center, with ppl 'treasure hunting' all hours every day. Isn't this illegal?

Oh, dear. Jay should move. Life is way too short for such agro. I love our center and all it says about our community, but would never live next door. As to all the comments about scavengers, they come off as coldhearted and judgmental. Our consumer society will always have a place for ragpickers. Plus, manyeople do this as a way to survive. Have a heart.

I think that any citizen has the right to complain about issues of a publicly owned facility that disturbs their peace without the threat of moving or being accused of whining. it is counter to the philosophy that created the need to recycle for this kind of situation to continue. The fact of the matter is the use of the Center has increased dramatically over the years so the effect on close neighbors should be a consideration (and should have been as part of the new construction). I have found Goodwill to be a responsive agency; they should inform their drivers of Jay's issues and meet with him to discuss and improve the situation. Drop offs at night when the Center is closed are prohibited; the question is how to enforce; City and PD and Recycle Center staff should get together and come up with a solution. MANY commercial refuse companies have converted their trucks to propane: cheaper; much less harmful exhaust (if any). I find it somewhat darkly comical that such attitudes that treat "issues" citizens have as "whining" and whose only suggestion is to "move out". Where do these people come from and how did they get this way ? Maybe the toxic effects of junk food are affecting their thinking (if that's what you want to call it) ? Solving problems thru dialogue with respect is a critical part of what it means to be a "citizen" and "neighbor".