Blue bin recycling makes good sense
LETTERS
I’ve watched with interest some of the negative opinions on door-to-door, blue bin recycling. Cost is one objection, private recyclers provide the service is another, commercial operations contribute most waste and so on.
I find it amazing that if other places can do it, why is Lethbridge stuck so vehemently in the past? Seniors seem to object the most. I am a senior and believe it makes sense for these reasons.
Door-to-door, blue bin pickup encourages more involvement in recycling, especially if garbage pickup is every second week. Our household went from an average of two to three black garbage bags per week down to one tall kitchen catcher per week. We have a small garbage bin but I think most households have the larger bin. No sorting, no storing, no driving to the recycle depots is another bonus.
Environmentally it makes sense. Furthest distances for households varies from four to six kilometres from recycling depots. I used an average central distance of two km as the crow flies. Driving to a facility via our streets averaged about three km to get there. This will be fluctuate based on where you live.
In 2013 Lethbridge had 38,279 households and probably one vehicle per household. Let’s say we have 40,000 households in Lethbridge. If each household makes one trip to recycle per week, that equals 120,000 km per week calculating one-way only; assuming most residents tie recycle drop-off with other errands. Conservatively, if a vehicle gets 10 litres/100 km mileage (trucks don’t), that equals 12,000 litres of gasoline a week. If half the households don’t recycle, the landfill gets all those extra recyclables. Multiply all these figures by 52 and they are staggering! You have the choice to pollute and pay more carbon tax or reduce and save.
I’ve heard costs will run approximately $7 extra per household per month. I Googled private recycling companies to see what fees would be as an alternative. Would you rather pay $205 a year (private) or $84 a year (cityrun)?
Time involved is another savings. If an average person’s time is worth $20 per hour and a household spends an hour a week sorting recyclables, including a trip to a depot (you could be doing something else much more important), then 20 x 40,000 = $80,000/week in savings of precious personal time for city residents. All you have to do is throw your recyclables into the blue bin and put it out every second week. How easy is that?
Ken Orich
Lethbridge