Town hosts recycling information session

by Lucie Roy

The Recycling Changes Info Session took place at Council Chambers Jan. 29 with more than 55 people in attendance.

Public Works with Claude Valcourt, Director of Public Works, and GFL Lorenzo Donini Director of Government Affairs and Municipal Affairs hosted the information session on the recycling changes which came into effect on January 1, 2019.

Also providing information at the event was Felicity Bergman, Town of Morinville Corporate Communications Coordinator.

Plastics

Donini provided a quick history of the global industry pertaining to China, recycling and Canada not having the sufficient business and re-manufacturing infrastructure to reuse all the plastics it produces.

With China no longer accepting low-grade plastics such as those identified on the bottom as 3, 6, and 7 and no market to accept these items, they are being placed in the trash at this time.

Donini covered the plastics and how they are grouped into seven grades and among those grades are numerous subgrades that have different properties, which may or may not be recycled.

One example he used is the rigid bottle grade 1 and 2 which is quite different than the flexible bags, like shopping bags in grade 1 and 2.

Donini spoke on the plastics that have to come out of the blue bag and said that is only 10% by weight in total material of what goes in the Blue Bag Recycling Program.

By including the 10% we are kind of jeopardizing the successful recycling and the 99.5% purity standard for recycling.

The rigid, moulded plastic containers of bottle grade material are the only materials being accepted and within that type, they are only accepting grade 1 and 2 only.

Ninety percent (90%) of the program is still very sound. All of the cans, glossy magazines, newspapers, cardboard all of it gets recycled.

Town Resources

Bergman encouraged everyone to visit the Town of Morinville Website under Waste Management and view the information provided.

There is info on the blue bag recycling with a list of what is acceptable and what is not, which was also included with the last Town utility bill.

The website also has a Where Does it Go Waste Sorting Game where one may type in the name of the item and it will tell you how to recycle or dispose of it.

If anyone has suggestions on what they would like to see on the list they can contact the town.

Bergman said they also have an App at https://www.morinville.ca/services/waste-management

The Question and Answer session covered glass bottles, missing lids, getting a new bin, and plastic properties.

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5 Comments

  1. This was a great information meeting and all town people should watch video when it comes out next week so they could understand why some recycle bags aren’t getting pick up. Thanks Don/Brenda Kieser.

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