City should make recycling simpler
Re Bringing ‘purity’ to Toronto’s blue bins, April 14 Judging by the amount of recycling placed in the bins in my apartment building, there’s no lack of enthusiasm for Toronto’s efforts to divert waste away from landfills. And while some residents need to be reminded to wash out food containers, the biggest problem is the long list of dos and don’ts associated with the program. One almost needs a degree to follow what can and can’t be recycled. This confusion needs to be addressed to ensure better compliance. Companies should also be required by law to reduce unnecessary packaging, and put everything else in recyclable containers.
Although it would involve some additional expense, I agree with the idea of removing the job of sorting from residents, and having it done by special machinery and/or city staff. Toronto residents are enthusiastic about recycling, but all the rules and regulations are way too complicated and confusing. Diana Hooper, Toronto If city hall wants to reduce the “verboten” materials in its blue bin program, it should look at the worst offenders — apartment and condo buildings. We live in an amazing rental building where management provides a designated space for furniture, electronics, paints and other sundry items that don’t fit recycling criteria.
This room is cleared out regularly by staff (and sometimes other tenants who up-cycle). This is a good example of what building owners and property managers can do to discourage contamination of our blue bins. Unfortunately, some superintendents are advising tenants to dump items they don’t know what to do with in the recycling. But high-density housing generates a revolving door of non-recyclables: broken furniture, toys, electronics, curtains, sheets, dishes, pots and pans. If city hall wants to end blue bin contamination, they should mandate “audit” rooms in all apartments and condos and use existing waste management channels to dispose of it. Susan Cusimano, Toronto Our trash story in Durham Region is quite different than in Toronto; I can’t help but wonder why there wasn’t at least some mention of successful alternative strategies.
We’re required to do some preliminary trash sorting here in Durham. First, separate papers — including newspapers, cardboard, boxboard, etc., into a little blue box. Then, put any containers (glass, plastic, clamshells, aluminum, etc.) into the big blue box. And then put organics (kitchen waste, mainly) into a green bin, using compostable bin liners. Ron Myhr, Pickering