It looks like Norwegian is responding smartly and constructively to the sharp criticism leveled against it and its competitors by environmental groups in recent years.

Indiana isn't usually thought of as a recycling hotbed. Nonetheless the state's recycling rate, according to this Associated Press story that appears on the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel web site, hovers in the respectable vicinity of 40%.

The city of Muncie, whose rate lags about 10% behind the statewide figure, is considering establishing a mandatory recycling program that would include compliance inspections and penalties. It would be the first such compulsory recycling program in the Hoosier state, according to the article.

Bill Smith, president of the Muncie Sanitary District board of commissioners, notes that mandatory recycling "has been second nature on the East Coast and the West Coast for years" and that "big cities have found this is the only way to drastically improve your recycling rate."

One big city that hasn't found this out yet and that truly could use such drastic improvement -- as I'm sure many of you who read this column last Thursday recall -- is Las Vegas. The city's recycling rate, a paltry 2%, is practically negative -- much like the tone of the e-mailed comments several readers sent in response to that last Inbox installment.

There were a lot of useful ideas and information packed into those comments, and they made me realize I left a few salient points out.

For example, it's a good idea to note which types of food containers are recyclable and which aren't; to buy the "good" ones whenever possible; and then, of course, to always recycle them. And we should take care not to buy and cook too much food to minimize the amount that will need to be thrown away. And composting, with worms or without, is another effective way to get rid of food waste. And fats, oil and grease should never, ever be put down the drain because they really clog things up down under (just put them in a can or jar in the freezer until trash day rolls around). And in-sink food waste grinders, while they provide great convenience, have their downside in terms of added load on wastewater treatment systems.

The larger point holds. Trash stench is for the most part preventable if people are educated and motivated to take care of their waste properly. And therefore stink alone doesn't suffice as justification to not cut the frequency of trash collection if a preponderance of other factors suggests that's the right thing to do.

Pete Fehrenbach is assistant managing editor of Waste News. Past installments of this column are collected in the Inbox archive.