Curbside recycling era arrives
Medicine Hat the last of Canada’s 50 largest cities to make the blue bin plunge
Officials are stressing that when it comes to the success of curbside recycling program in Medicine Hat, residents will only get out of it what they put in.
Medicine Hat was the last of Canada’s 50 largest cities to have a curbside recycling service, but that distinction ended on Monday.
The first 1,000 bins delivered to Crescent Heights and north side addresses were picked up on Monday along with other refuse and yard waste in Zone 1.
Eventually 23,000 bins will be stationed with city residences, but that comes at a time with new, tighter restrictions, particularly in China, have some people questioning the viability of collecting and reselling tin, paper and plastic.
Brian Murphy, the general manager of the city’s environmental utilities department, told the News that while no sorting of paper, plastic and tin is required, Hatters should consider what they’re putting in the bin.
“There are still markets for clean loads of recyclable material,” said Murphy. “Everyone has a role in keeping our material (acceptable) to the market, and that’s all included in the materials that were delivered with the cart.”
This winter, China began restricted loads of unsorted paper and some types of plastics, essentially stopping payment on loads containing soiled paper and plastic, either with grease or food.
Locally, that means the program wants generally clean, unsoiled paper and cardboard, food rinsed from plastic and tin, and no glass in carts where it can shatter and become embedded in loads. Those shards present a hazard to workers and make other paper and plastic unsellable.
“It doesn’t take a lot to contaminate the load,” said Randy Wong, the general manager of contracted curbside operator CanPak Enivronmental, who said oils and food from containers is an obvious problem. “If that material gets into the rest, which people have spent the time putting (together), liquid will spoil an entire truckload.” “It jeopardizes a lot of tonnage.” That can mean loads go to the landfill instead, said Wong, adding a good rule of thumb is that plastic and tin cans don’t need to be dishwasher clean, but should be fully rinsed.
Most other unacceptable items, like scrap metal, or non recyclable plastics, such as chip bags, can be sorted out at CanPak’s facility in Brier Park, said Wong, but that takes time and adds to the cost.
A complete guide should have been delivered with each cart, and is also available on the city’s website.
Wong said the initial pickup day went generally smoothly, with drivers doubling up on routes as a way to get to know routes.
“As the weeks go by, we’ll add more bodies and more trucks to the routes — it’s a great training time period for us,” he said.
The city is delivering about 1,000 per day in all zones of the city. As deliveries are completed, pickups begin on the next scheduled day for general pickup. Placement and storage of the bins follow general guidelines for current grey and green bins.
Another factor is that Hatters have known the pickup system has been coming for several months, and perhaps storing up material rather then dropping it off at depots.
That could lead to an initially high volume, though Wong said managers won’t know if that’s the case until the initial load.
He said that on Monday, off the 1,000 bins in Zone 1, only about half were out for collection.
“It will take some time for people to get comfortable with a new bin and what to put in it,” said Wong. “We knew that we weren’t going to be collecting all 1,000, but as the program continues, people will take advantage of it.”