Does Lethbridge need a ‘white elephant’?
LETTERS
Municipalities in Canada, from coast to coast, operating recycling programs, are scrambling to find a market(s) for their recycling and have admitted their recycled products are ending up in landfills. In P.E.I., there is a provincial ban on recyclables in landfills.
Currently they ship them to other provinces. (Most recently the province has relaxed the ban, and now recyclables are finding their home in provincial landfills in P.E.I.)
In Lethbridge, the question is, “Has the City of Lethbridge secured a market(s) for any recyclable materials, and is this a steady and reliable market(s)?" If not, then we trust a responsible mayor and city council will realize where any attempts at
City-operated curbside recycling and the construction of a Material Recycling Plant is nothing more than a very expensive exercise in futility. To construct a Material Recycling Plant to the tune of $16 million would be to create nothing more than a “white elephant” at the expense of the taxpayers. If the City has secured markets, then it is reasonable to expect that the City disclose who/where these markets are and what return ratio of expenditures we might expect.
Recently, the City reported that they will have to secure markets for recycled materials. In reality, Lethbridge is a small player the “game.” We simply cannot compete against existing recycling plants across Canada and, for that matter, internationally; if we try, our recycling will end up in our landfill eventually.
For now, the brakes should be put on the City-operated curbside recycling and to place the construction of the Material Recycling Plant in abeyance. The immediate future of recycling is indeed in the balance, worldwide, not just here in Lethbridge. (Is this not in fact the suggestion/recommendation of the executive director for the Recycling Council of Alberta who stated, “Developments around Chinese markets (for recycling) came at a good time as far as Lethbridge is concerned. The timing is better for Lethbridge because you have time to actually respond to this.”)
Responsible governance must realize and act accordingly.
For now, it is certainly wise to continue with the status quo — let the private recycle companies operate as they have been doing, and continue with the three City recycle stations.
Harold Pereverseff
Lethbridge