Troy Shantz
An ad that’s appearing in some other local media has prompted a flurry of calls at Sarnia’s public works department, city staff says.
The “Recycle Right” ad from the Bluewater Recycling Association was widely distributed in Sarnia and Point Edward but doesn’t match their own blue box programs, explained city operations manager Bryan Prouse.
For example, it tells residents to throw individual yogurt containers — and everything else three inches or smaller — in the trash.
That’s both wrong and wasteful, officials say. And it muddies an already murky grasp many residents in Sarnia and Point Edward have of what can and can’t go in their blue box.
What’s acceptable locally is determined in partnership with recycling contractor Emterra, said Sarnia waste management coordinator Tina D’Andrea.
Thankfully, there’s an app for that. Sarnia and Point Edward are among hundreds of municipalities that use the “Recycle Coach” app. Available for Android and iOS, the free app explains what can and can’t be recycled.
Dried paint cans —yes. Styrofoam of any kind— no. It even reminds you when it’s garbage day.
The contents of local blue boxes are trucked to a recycling centre in Burlington where crews of people and machinery separate the recyclable plastics, metal and paper from waste and prepare it for sale.
Between 5% and 10% of what’s collected locally is contaminated, which cuts into the price the municipalities receives, D’Andrea said.
Sarnia once earned $500,000 a year from the sale of its recyclables but is now getting about half that, Prouse said.
Residents can help by taking a minute to rinse cans and bottle before placing them in the blue box.
“It doesn’t have to be washed with soap, just a quick rinse to get the food residue off,” D’Andrea said.
“Pizza boxes are a huge one as well. The box itself is recyclable but the greasy sheet of paper or the crust and food bits they leave in there are not.”
Dumping unrecyclable items in the blue box costs local taxpayers money.
“They have machinery that picks through this stuff, and it will get in the garbage and we pay for that — quite a hefty rate — for disposal,” Prouse said.
“They deduct that out of the revenue that we receive for the sale of the material.”
Sarnia’s divestment rate is only about 40%. That means 40% of what’s collected is actually recycled and the rest goes to landfill.
Despite the app and education campaigns, confusion is widespread. With no provincial standard in place the rules differ from city to city, Prouse explained.
But that could change over the next five years. Ontario is working on a plan that will see municipal recycling collection handed over to the companies that make the products, Prouse said.
A staff report detailing the handover is expected this month, he added.
