Many of us are keen recyclers – perhaps too keen in some instances.
Putting items in curbside recycling bins that should go directly to depots or be placed in the garbage is the habit of a wishful recycler. Knowing what goes where is the key to increasing what we save from the landfill.
The top three misplaced items in curbside recycling are glass, styrofoam and flexible plastics. Although these are all accepted at Recycle BC depots – of which there are seven in qathet Regional District (qRD) – they are considered contamination in curbside recycling. Understanding why is helpful.
Glass and styrofoam (aka polystyrene) have a tendency to shatter and break apart into many pieces that then pollute the other materials in the load with their fragments. Flexible plastics (grocery store bags, snack wrappers, cling wrap, avocado bag netting, et cetera) tend to get wrapped up in the recycling facility sorting equipment, stopping processing altogether.
City of Powell River residents enjoy biweekly recycling pick-up service for paper and containers (be they made from paper, plastic or metal), which cuts down on the frequency of visits to a depot to drop off the remainder of their recycling. Most qRD depots also take other recyclables, including all curbside recycling materials (although paper and containers need to be separated for depot collection), household batteries, light bulbs, real cork bottle stoppers, and plastic pens, felts and highlighters.
Town Centre Recycling Depot (across from the Salvation Army Thrift Store) also receives small appliances (broken coffee makers, clothing irons, toasters, et cetera), up to 20 pounds of food scraps and wax (soy, bees or paraffin) at no charge. Some depot staff are also happy to receive your refundable beverage containers – ask about this at your preferred depot.
Certain items require special handling, but are still recyclable when brought to equipped facilities. Empty propane tanks, some paint products and containers, car tires, large household appliances, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, scrap metal and a number of hazardous products and their packaging can be taken to Augusta Recyclers for free disposal.
Sunshine Disposal and Recycling on Franklin Avenue hosts the free Interchange Recycling program, which accepts used oil and antifreeze along with their containers and used oil filters on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays between 10 am and 4 pm. Yard and garden waste, up to two yards and free of invasive plant material, can also be dropped off at this location on the same days of the week.
Residents who would like a reminder for garbage and recycling pick-up day, along with special waste-related events and service changes, can sign up using the qathet Waste Wise app. This app also hosts the Wizard search tool, which is handy for all those items you’re not quite sure where to take.
Additional search tools can be found at RecycleBC.ca and the Recycling Council of BC site. Those interested in having a paper copy handy can print out the qathet Waste Wise Guide from a PDF available online. City hall also has a number of printed paper copies for those without easy access to a printer.
As much as it is strange to say, when it comes to recyclables, when in doubt of its recyclability, it’s best to throw it out, lest you contaminate an entire community collection truck or depot bin.
Let’s Talk Trash is contracted by qathet Regional District to deliver its waste reduction education program. For more information, email [email protected] or go to LetsTalkTrash.ca.
