Editorial: The town would not need to spend as much as it does on removing trash if all town residents sorted their household garbage. However, while telling residents that they must sort their garbage would get some of them to do so, many would resent the order and refuse to comply. The current voluntary system, then, is to be preferred, because it costs about as much as a nonvoluntary system would and it does not engender nearly as much resentment.
The contention that the town would not have to spend as much as it does on removing trash if all town residents sorted their garbage is a premise that the editorial's argument relies on in reaching its conclusion.