Region waste managers get the blue bin blues

Good recycling begins in the home, they stress, as worldwide market for garbage heats up

WATERLOO REGION — “Wishful recycling” is a habit Waterloo Region’s waste management department wants to curb.

Car parts, for instance, are commonly found mixed in with recycling out at the curb.

“People get excited. They want to put everything in the blue bin,” said Kathleen Barsoum, waste co-ordinator for the region.

That causes problems down the line when the region tries to sell our recyclable materials, especially now that China — formerly the main recipient of the world’s recyclable plastics and papers — banned most foreign recycling material starting this year.

The result is a flooded recyclables market that’s putting pressure on municipalities including Waterloo Region to produce well-sorted materials to sell because processors can be picky about what they accept.

“Our residents are actually competing with other residents across North America,” Barsoum said.

Good sorting means good recycling — and that starts with residents.

“It all begins in the home,” Barsoum said. “The best sort is the initial sort in the home.”

People want to do the right thing and keep items out of the landfill, Barsoum said. Blue box recycling increased by eight per cent in the first year of the new garbage collection rules, implemented in March 2017.

But sometimes residents are too eager to toss everything into the blue bin or don’t sort items properly.

“We’re getting a lot of contamination in the blue box,” Barsoum said. “Generally, the problem is incorrect recycling.”

That’s why the region is focused on educating residents to get a cleaner sort. Even with three steps in the sorting process — first by the resident, then the collection crew curbside and finally at the region’s recycling centre — there’s too much contamination.

Contamination includes items not accepted for recycling, such as Styrofoam or plastic straws in pop cans, and mixed recycling, such as pizza crust left in a pizza box or paper thrown in with containers that soaks up liquids.

When recycling is done well by residents, the recycling centre can focus on sorting rather than removing what can’t be recycled.

Flyers explaining how to sort your waste are attached to blue bins when garbage crews spot problems. Lots of information is available on the region’s website, as well as the free My Waste app and by calling the region’s call centre at 519-575-4400. People can also call there to get stickers to put on their recycling bins.

Little actions by residents can improve the marketability of our recycling, Barsoum said. “It’s really hard to undo a bad sort.”

The region encourages a two-bin sort, with containers in one bin and paper and plastic in another.

Containers — basically rigid forms that held something bought in a store — should go in the bin loose to allow crews to sort items into different compartments on the truck.

Paper can go in a plastic grocery bag, and recyclable plastic bags can all be stuffed inside one bag and tied shut.

Correct sorting can also be done in one blue bin: “Containers on one side, bag of papers on the other side,” Barsoum said.

Those interested in learning more about the region’s recycling efforts can check out the landfill and recycling centre on a public tour held twice a year. The next one is on April 21 on Earth Day; call the region to book a spot.