Originally published Mar 28/18 The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.

The number of bags or boxes of recyclables that arrive at the Recycling Centre with very little or no garbage is steadily increasing. This is very helpful.

There is still a lot of garbage. The two garbage dumpsters at the Recycling Centre are emptied twice a week. Sometimes they overflow. Larger non-recyclable items left at the Centre are taken to the landfill.

Several non-recyclable items consistently appear because people don’t realize they are not recyclable.

Here is a list of the most common ones.

1. Plastic bags and food bags. This includes shopping bags, vegetable and bread bags, pet food bags, sugar bags, liners from cereal or frozen pizza boxes. Film plastic is anything that changes shape without much effort. It is not recycled in our community.
2. Number six plastics.  This is any plastic with a number 6 inside the recycling symbol or the letter ‘s’ below it. Common items include snap apart single serving yogurt containers and disposable drinking cups that are not completely clear. Clam shells/plastic covers for baking may be number six. They are usually more brittle than the number one containers.    
3. Mixed material containers.  Examples are laminated paper, collage are projects, padded envelopes, cans made of cardboard and metal such as Pringle containers and many coffee cans.
4. Coffee Cups.  Most have waxes mixed in the cardboard which makes them not recyclable.
5. Aluminum foil items such as pie pans. There are other materials mixed in the aluminum.
6. Styrofoam.
7. Small household appliances.  Microwaves are the only recyclable appliance.
8. Photographs, Cd’s, video tapes.  
9. Non-fluorescent light bulbs.

​If you are not sure if something is recyclable, please call (204) 687-6169.

Originally published Mar 21/18 The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.

The list of what is recyclable is usually very general.

Here are some specific examples of recyclable things.

Note:  the number of plastic is inside the recycling symbol (Mobius loop) on the container with letters under it. All numbered plastic containers except #6 are recyclable.  If there is a letter ‘S’ it is #6 plastic. No plastic bags or wrap are recyclable.

1. Beverage containers – this includes plastic, glass, aluminum and juice boxes (tetra paks). Many plastic disposable cups like the clear ones from Tims or McDonalds are. Smaller cups and red ones are usually #6. Coffee cups are not recyclable.
2. Plastic containers - Bottles from shampoo, laundry detergent, soap, ketchup and salad dressing are recyclable. Recycle food containers from sour cream, etc., milk jugs, clam shells from produce or baking. Check the number on clam shells.  Some are #6 plastic. They are usually thinner, more brittle and feel ‘crinklier’.
3. All metal cans are recyclable. Containers that have metal bottoms and cardboard sides like Pringles, juice concentrate and some coffee cans are not.
4. Recycle fliers, printer paper, envelopes, magazines, books and newspapers. Items should be clean.  Laminated paper, mixed materials such as art projects and plastic padded envelopes, and disposables like paper plates and paper towel are not.
5. Clean corrugated cardboard and boxboard (cereal boxes) are recyclable.
6. Clean paper bags are recyclable. All other bags such as plastic bags and wrap, and food bags are garbage.  
7. Household batteries are recyclable. They should be in a separate bag or container so they can be recycled separately.

Remember, nothing should be drippy sticky or gooey.

Call (204) 687-6169 or go to www.flinflonrecycling.org  if you have questions.  

 March total – 43,036 kg
       
        Co-mingled* - 11,930 kg
        Office Paper – 2,722 kg
        Cardboard – 24,180 kg
        Glass – 3,696 kg
        Books -  

Total for 2018 – 113,813 kg
Total for 2017 – 103,101 kg
Difference – +10,712 kg


E – waste – 9.8 metric tons (tonnes)
 
Batteries – 150 kg

* Co-mingled is unsorted materials sent to Winnipeg for sorting


Comments – We finally caught up by shipping the rest of the cardboard that had collected since Christmas. This brought our tonnage for the month up significantly, both the cardboard and the overall tonnage. 

We shipped a load of electronics. We usually ship three times a year.

Someone left several boxes of the batteries that appear to be from two way radios. There were a lot of them so our battery shipment was also higher this month. 

Originally published Mar 14/18 The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.

The Recycling Centre is operated by the Flin Flon & District Environment Council, Inc., a non-profit organization. Its goal is to encourage environmentally friendly activities in our community. The recycling program is the main activity.

As a non-profit, the organization is not trying to make money.  All the money that comes in is used to cover costs.   

Good business practices are still important as there must be enough funds to pay the bills.

It is a good thing profit is not the goal as selling recyclables does not make money. In 2017 only 10% of the revenue came from sales. One third of that came from returning empty beer containers.

Municipal governments are responsible for taking care of waste. The recycling support grants from Flin Flon, Creighton and Denare Beach provide the largest portion of the revenue at 29%.

In Manitoba industries that produce recyclable waste must subsidize the cost of recycling through stewardship programs.  This includes household recycling, tires, electronics, batteries and household hazardous waste.

The recycling program received 21% of its funding from stewardship programs last year.

The Recycling Centre charges a fee to cover the cost of pickup services.  Seventeen percent of last year’s revenue came from business pickup fees and the red bag curbside program.

The Recycling Centre owns the building at 9 Timber Lane. The rental agreement with its tenant provided 14% of the revenue.

The surplus from the Recycling Centre’s contract to operate the Flin Flon Landfill provided 5% of revenues.

Four percent of revenue came from a variety of places including a student grant, donations and fundraising.

The stability provided by these funds means recycling will continue to make a difference in our community.

Originally published Mar 7/18 The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.

March already! I finally found the time to look at the recycling stats for last year.
​
2017 was a good year. We recycled 463 metric tons or tonnes.  This is an increase of 21 tonnes over 2016 and the third highest total in our 25 year history.

Some trends are emerging.

More people are recycling at home.

We processed 156 tonnes of comingled materials. These recyclables come mostly from homes.  This is up 8 tonnes over last year. In 2016 comingled materials were up four tonnes over 2015.

Cardboard continues to be about half of the materials recycled. Last year it was 45%, down slightly from 47% the year before

Electronic recycling continues to grow. In 2017 we shipped three trailers of electronics for a total just over thirty tonnes. 

The future of electronics recycling will be interesting. Gadgets are getting smaller so more items may be recycled but the weights will not show it.

We recycled 400 kilograms of household batteries.

The household hazardous waste depot opened in 2017. Materials are shipped in large crates called tubskids and metal or plastic barrels or drums.

Nineteen tubskids and 31 drums of paint and other materials were shipped. There will be less in 2018 as many items were cleaned up at the landfill when the depot opened.

Last year 7,954 tires were recycled from the Flin Flon Landfill.  

I just began keeping track of the boxes of fluorescent bulbs we shipped this year so I don’t have that number for 2017.

Next week we will look at where the money comes from to keep recycling happening in our community.

Thanks to everyone who helped make recycling happen in 2017. 

Originally published Feb 28/18 The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.

The Board of the Recycling Centre decided to purchase a second baler to manage the increase in recyclables from homes. It is making big changes to the way recyclables are prepared for shipping.

Recycling Centre staff goes through all the bags and boxes of recyclables. The glass, beer cans and garbage is removed and the recyclables are placed in large plastic bags. These bags used to be stored in one of the semi-trailers attached to the building until the comingled materials were baled. Often the need to keep up with baling cardboard meant the trailer would be piled full.

Emptying the bags into opening in the front of the baler was awkward. Many items had to be cleaned up from the floor.

The conveyor feed on the new baler changes all that. The large bags are emptied as soon as they are filled. Bags and boxes that arrive with no glass or garbage are emptied straight into the hopper on the conveyor. When it is full, the baler and conveyor are turned on and the recyclables are fed into the back of the baler.

When the materials reach a specific level in the baler the conveyor stops and the baler presses the materials. After the press, the conveyor continues to feed the recyclables.

The sensors still need to be set for the baler to stop feeding when the bale is done.

The first bales were 51 inches across. They can only be 45 inches to fit side by side in the semi-trailer for shipping.

The Recycling Centre isn’t very big so organizing the stacking pallets, carts and bales is a work in progress.

An open house is planned for Earth Day in April. 

Originally published Feb 21/18 The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.

​I attended a conference in Thompson last week with people from several First Nations who are working to start recycling and waste management programs in their communities.

There was so much information about what can be recycled, how to do it and who to contact. I wasn’t sure anyone would have energy left for my presentation of our story at 3:20.

I had 15 minutes which didn’t seem like enough for 25 years!

It went well as many of the things described during the day are part of our story. I had more time because Solomon from St. Theresa Point hadn’t arrived yet. It was still a 12 hour journey by ice road.

I met Solomon that evening. He is a 74 year old gentleman who is responsible for removing the ‘end of life vehicles’ or ELV’s from his community.

His presentation the next morning began with a CTV news clip. There were 5,000 old vehicles in the community when it began. They gathered the vehicles, trained people to remove the toxics (oil, antifreeze, batteries and gasoline) and purchased a machine to crush them for backhaul on the winter road.

Solomon told the story. He had worked in a variety of jobs in Manitoba. When he was in his community he thought ‘Somebody needs to clean up.’

“Then I realized I was somebody!”

That was the beginning. He is very proud of his 13 employees, of his clean community and that revenue from the old vehicles allows him to upgrade his equipment and contribute to other community needs.
​
Solomon is right. Everyone is the ‘somebody’ who can make a difference for the environment and our communities.

        Co-mingled* - 11,013 kg
        Office Paper – 3,531 kg
        Cardboard – 17,130 kg
        Glass – 1,286 kg
     

Total for 2018 – 70,777 kg
Total for 2017 – 68,557 kg
Difference – +2,220 kg


* Co-mingled is unsorted materials sent to Winnipeg for sorting


Comments – 

Originally published Feb 14/18 The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop

It finally felt like things at the Recycling Centre were normal again Friday afternoon.
 
It started the week before Christmas when the new baler installation took over our small space. Some work was done, but materials began to pile up.
 
There is always a large volume of recyclables after Christmas that keeps us busy well into January. This year’s pile became exceptionally large as the flu took out one person for the first week of January and another for two days.
 
The death of one of our employees was a shock. One employee needed the week off. The rest of us were not at our best.

The recycling trailers beside Canadian Tire and from Denare Beach were neglected.
We finally cleared the floor by the end of January.

This allowed our electrician to be able to put in the wiring to the new baler. But it refused to run.  It seemed a safety switch somewhere wasn’t in the right position.

The forklift broke down. It is critical to our operations as we need to stack 350 – 450 kg bales. So we rented one for a week, finally found someone to fix it and ordered the new radiator.  

We found the switch on the baler, made an adjustment and the new baler is running.
The new radiator for the forklift arrived.

The rented forklift left Thursday afternoon. Our forklift arrived Friday morning.

Operations have returned to normal although the new baler changes ‘normal’.  Co-mingled materials are fed into it by a conveyor. It is easier and faster.

We still need to adjust the sensors for the bale size. The 550 kg bales are too big.
​
Our team will figure it out.

Originally published Feb 7/18 The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.

Convenience is the key to encouraging people to recycle. The most convenient way for residents to get their recyclables to the Recycling Centre is to have it picked up at their homes.

It is also the most expensive in terms of cost to the service provider.

In 2014 Creighton began providing curbside pickup. It didn’t change their costs very much as they were providing garbage pickup twice a week. They changed the second day to recycling.

Garbage pickup in Flin Flon is only once a week. The Council decided the additional cost for recycling pickup was not a priority. Instead they decided to encourage recycling by purchasing a trailer that would be parked in a central location to make dropping off recyclables more convenient.

The trailer has been in the vacant lot beside Canadian Tire and Walmart since the summer of 2014. It has made recycling more convenient based on comments and how often it needs to be emptied.  

The Recycling Centre has purchased another trailer to make recycling more convenient. The landfill attendants observed large quantities of recyclable cardboard going into the landfill. It was decided to park a trailer at the landfill to collect the cardboard.  

Recyclable electronics will also be collected in the trailer.

The trailers are manufactured by Excel Industries in The Pas. There were several parked in convenient locations in that community and several others to collect recyclables that are taken to The Pas Recycling Centre.

The trailers are used for pickups now that the Town of The Pas, the RM of Kelsey and OCN provide curbside pickup.

The Recycling Centre provides curbside pickup in Flin Flon for a fee.  Information is available at www.flinflonrecycling.org. 

Originally published Jan 31/18 The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.

China has been in the news lately because they decided not to recycle any more of the world’s garbage (I prefer to call it waste). This left many recycling programs with no place to send their recyclables.

I spoke with our contact person at Cascades Recovery, the company we ship recyclables to find out how this change would affect us.

I was told that Cascades does not ship to China.  

The recycling industry knew the China decision was coming last spring already.  Many cardboard mills in North America shut down for maintenance and/or upgrades as they saw this as an opportunity to process more cardboard.

As a result, cardboard wasn’t moving for a few months and prices fell. At the time of my conversation most of the mills had reopened so cardboard had begun moving again. We are hoping prices will improve.

The other material news reports mentioned that China is not taking is plastic. I found out this was the lower grade plastics, mostly film like plastic bags and mixed content plastic. We do not collect plastic bags for recycling so this will also not affect us.

Cascades ships plastic to North American mills. The only problem with that would be if the United States decided to impose tariffs on it.

A friend directed me to a very interesting CBC radio series called Wasted.  The second episode mentioned that recycling does help the environment but it still takes from it because it requires energy.

The best thing to do is reduce the amount of things we use because everything we have comes from the earth.

Check out the series ‘Wasted’ at www.cbc.ca/daysix . Dates are January 5, 12 and 19.  

Originally published Jan 24/18 The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.

While working on the dock one day early in the new year I noticed a gentleman dropping off two red bags of recyclables. I suggested he leave the bags on his front curb on Wednesday mornings and we would pick them up. I explained that he only needs to use one red bag. The rest can go in clear bags as the red bags are quite expensive.

He readily agreed on the expensive part. I explained that the price covers the cost of picking it up.

I think he thought that he had to buy red bags to recycle anything. I’m glad we had the conversation!

We use a variety of methods to give out information about recycling. This newspaper column is one of them. We appreciate the sponsorship by the North of 53 Consumer’s Coop.

We asked people how they got recycling information on our survey in 2016. The choices were: other people, website, Facebook, pamphlet, and calling the Centre. The sign by Hapnot was also in the survey.  

We have added messages on CFAR in the last few months.

I was surprised that the most common response on the survey was ‘from other people’. Word of mouth is wonderful as long as the information is correct. As I worked through the mountain of bags after Christmas I think that isn’t always the case.

For example, we have advertised that wrapping paper is not recyclable for many years but we still found a lot of it this year.

Please check the list on the website or the pinned pictures on the Facebook group or call the Centre.
​
If it’s on the list, recycle it. If it’s not, it is garbage.  

Originally published Jan 17/18 The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.

There is always lots of recycling after the Christmas holiday. But this year is breaking all records.

Check out the picture on the Flin Flon Recycling group page on Facebook. Hopefully it is much smaller as you are reading this.

We parked the new trailer destined for the landfill beside Canadian Tire as we have not had time or space to empty the other one. A dozen bales of cardboard from the Coop are sitting outside.

There have been some unusual circumstances. The new baler installation slowed us down for most of three days the week before Christmas. The flu took out one employee for 4 days and another for two the first week of January.

Last week one of our employees passed away so we are not functioning as well as usual. One staff member needed the week away.

The mountain is more than the result of these factors. We are a victim of our own success. The number of people and businesses recycling has increased.

Hopefully the new baler will be up and running next week, although we have to find the conveyor under all the materials waiting to be baled.

I have spent a lot of time these days past bagging materials for baling. There are many bags that require very little attention. All the materials inside are recyclable and not drippy, sticky or gooey.

I am also learning what information people need.

We cannot recycle gift wrap, plastic bags, food bags, or coffee cups. Portable garage tarps, fans, vacuum cleaners, Styrofoam, children's toys, clothing and chairs go to the landfill.

We appreciate your patience as we work hard to catch up.
​
This is a good problem to have. 

Originally published Jan10/18 The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.

I worked on the dock more than usual last week as we try to catch up after Christmas. It gave me opportunity to talk with people dropping off recyclables. These conversations in person or on Facebook help me understand a few things about what people need to know.

It started with pizza boxes.

Pizza boxes are made of corrugated cardboard which is recyclable if it is clean. If there are large stains or pizza stuck to them they are garbage. I saw some very clean ones from recent fundraisers as the pizza was on a foil pan. A paper under the pizza would also help. Both the pan and the paper cannot be recycled.
 
A board member posted on Facebook about pizza boxes and included a request to remove Styrofoam packing from cardboard boxes.  It is not recyclable. Removing it slows down the baling process.

I commented that I like the packing pieces made from compressed paper as we can recycle them and they  probably contain recycled paper.

The next comment asked about recycling envelopes that have plastic inside. Envelopes made of only paper even if they have a window are recyclable. Envelopes that are paper with plastic padding inside are not.

Anything made out of two materials such as paper and plastic or cardboard and tin like many coffee cans, are not recyclable. The only exception is juice boxes (tetra packs) which are recyclable.

The next comment stated “I know I have been sending you stuff I shouldn’t” with a very sad face.

I responded with “No worries. I am always glad for these conversations as they provide info people need.”
​
Please call 204 687 6169, email recycled@mymts.net or use Facebook to ask questions. 

January total – 37,799 kg
       
        Co-mingled* - 13,528 kg
        Office Paper – 4,215 kg
        Cardboard – 15,305 kg
        Glass – 3,994 kg
        Books -  

Total for 2018 – 37,799 kg
Total for 2017 – 36,983 kg
Difference – +846 kg
 
Batteries – 65 kg

* Co-mingled is unsorted materials sent to Winnipeg for sorting


Comments - There were about 40 bales of cardboard from the Coop waiting in the yard that were not counted so our number would have been much higher if we had been able to process them. 
We will be breaking these bales and baling them with other cardboard as they are smaller than our bales and sell for $40.00 less per tonne. 

Written for Dec 27/17. Originally published Jan 3/18 The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.

​December is a time when we look back at the year that is ending.

Several things changed in the programs managed by the Flin Flon & District Environment Council, Inc.

Two things that started in 2016 were completed.

Denare Beach began curbside recycling pickup after the community voted in favour of the service in October municipal election.

The Household Hazardous Waste depot opened at the Flin Flon landfill. We worked closely with the City for about a year to make this happen. Two sea containers were modified and installed to collect the materials for shipping. It opened in September.

Earth Day which is April 22 each year was on a Saturday. The Recycling Centre held an open house which several people took advantage of. We also had two school classes, the Girl Guides and the Summer in the Parks children tour the Centre.

In May we organized the ‘Company’s Coming’ cleanup campaign.

We were busy during homecoming collecting beverage containers.

We began regular radio advertising to promote the red bag curbside program in Flin Flon.
The website www.flinflonrecycling.org was updated.

In November we celebrated twenty-five years of recycling in our community with cake at the Chamber of Commerce regular meeting November 14.

The biggest change will continue into 2018. We have purchased a second baler to increase efficiency. After three days this past week, it is in place in the Centre. It needs electricity and some set up which will happen next year.

The only bad news is the price of corrugated cardboard and office paper fell in October since China has decided not to take recyclables.

Tonnage is ahead of last year by twenty-three tonnes.
​
It has been a good year. 

Originally published Dec 20/17 The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.

By the time this is published there will something new in the Recycling Centre. It will bring big changes to how recyclables are processed at the Centre.

Nothing will change for people bringing recyclables.  

We are finally moving our new baler that has been sitting in the parking lot since the beginning of November into the building.

The challenge of unloading it was just the beginning.

The machine weighs just over 3,600 kilograms or 8,000 pounds. It is sitting on its side which is a good thing because it will fit through the door.

Lifting it up on the dock and moving it in will be the first challenge. A zoom boom will be doing the work as it must be picked up from the top.

The next biggest challenge will be setting it upright. A gantry will be used to accomplish this task.

Then the baler will be moved into its designated spot, the mast, raised up into the ceiling and the conveyor, attached. We may have to move some water pipes.

Finally the electricity will be hooked up.

This is the biggest thing that has happened in the recycling program for a very long time.

The second baler will make things more efficient. The conveyor will feed co-mingled materials into the baler removing at least one step from the process.

Two bales can be made at the same time and if the twenty year old baler goes down materials can still be baled in the new one.  This is important as there is not much space for storage.
​
It will change where and how things move but the advantages will make it worth it.
Thank you to Frontier Industries for doing the work. 

Originally published Dec 13/17 The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.

Note- This column is 'recycled' every Christmas with just a few changes. 

The holiday season is a busy time at the Recycling Centre. Festivities and gift giving leaves lots of waste. Much of it can be recycled. Some things cannot.

The usual things are recyclable: beverage containers, cardboard, boxboard, all plastic containers with the recycling symbol except #6 (PS), Christmas cards, tin cans, batteries, newspapers and fliers, catalogues, magazines and office paper.  

Food and drink containers should not be drippy, sticky or gooey.

Things that belong in the garbage are: gift wrap, ribbons, envelopes with foil or plastic liners, food containers made of cardboard and metal, all Styrofoam,  plastic bags and wrap, plastic packaging with no number,  disposable plates , utensils and coffee cups.

Check plastic cups as many are #1 or #5 which can be recycled.

We cannot recycle Christmas decorations including Christmas lights.

Check the website www.flinflonrecycling.org or call 204 687 6169 for more information.

Reduce waste by using/ reusing gift bags and enjoying each other’s company while washing dishes instead of using disposable ones. 

Gifts often replace something that is still usable. Take these items to a second hand store or advertise them on Trader’s Post, Kijiji, or similar service.  Or give it away.

Electronics such as computers and their parts, sound systems, televisions, gaming systems, telephones and microwaves can be recycled. Check the list at www.recycleMYelectronics.ca.

Consider giving something that makes the world a better place and creates very little waste. Many charities have special projects you can contribute to in honour of someone on your list.

This season as always, remember that everything we have comes from the earth. As you treat each other to Christmas cheer and kindness, remember to also be kind to Mother Earth. 

Originally published Dec 6/17 The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.

The Recycling Centre staff are great.

This morning one of them brought me a box to use with school kids. There were four pictures showing how the product was made from recycled cardboard. I will need to enlarge it to show a group of children.

It reminds me of the box I found from a case of paper towels.  There was a ‘Green Roll Certified’ stamp and an ‘Eco-logo’ stamp and another one indicating these were environmentally friendly towels. The box was made of 100% recycled cardboard.

What got my attention was the ‘Cascades’ company logo.  We ship our materials to this company. Our office paper or ‘Printers Mix’ (the industry name for this grade of paper) is made into paper towels and similar things.

This box brought materials we recycled back for use in our community. Then the box was recycled again.

The Mobius loop is complete.

Recycled materials have become quite established in the process of making many things.

The floor covering in my office was recently replaced with vinyl plank that was 50% recycled materials.

Scrap metal and recycled plastic are part of every new car.

Plastic from pop bottles (number one plastic) is used in mattresses, clothing and carpet. An interesting bit of trivia is that the price paid for recycled #1 plastic has fallen in the past few years as fewer people use  carpet in their homes.

I wish more office paper became new office paper instead of disposable things like paper towels. It does in the US where a percentage of recycled content is required by law.
Many different things make recycling happen.
​
Check the pictures on the Flin Flon Recycling Facebook page. 

      December total – 33,378 kg
       
        Co-mingled* - 11,100 kg
        Office Paper – 3,254 kg
        Cardboard – 16,376 kg
        Glass – 2,648 kg
      

Total for 2017 – 463,516 kg
Total for 2016 – 442,272 kg
Difference – +21,244 kg

* Co-mingled is unsorted materials sent to Winnipeg for sorting


Comments – There were several more tonnes of recyclables in the building at the end of the month that had not been baled and weighed. We lost 3 days before Christmas installing the new baler. The Christmas mountain seemed much bigger this year. This will be reflected in January 2018 numbers. 

The total for the year is the third highest in our history. I expected it to be higher but the slow down for the baler affected the final number. 
  

Originally published Nov 29/17 The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.

This is my new favourite verb!

I didn’t make it up. It is part of a video about recycling that I posted on the Flin Flon Recycling Facebook group.  The video is from New York City but has valuable information.  Check it out.

One of the problems identified in the video is ‘wish-cycling’. The verb is defined as “The act of throwing something not recyclable into the recycling bin hoping it can be recycled when it cannot.”

The main example in the video is plastic bags or film plastic. This is something we see a lot of at the Recycling Centre. It includes plastic wrap and the tear open packaging. If it is not hard plastic, we can’t recycle it.

Another common non-recyclable item we receive is coffee cups. Many are labeled compostable and environmentally friendly. However, there is a difference between compostable and recyclable. Compostable items will break down in a compost pile but do not have the strong long fibres required for recycling. Other coffee cups cannot be recycled as they have too many non-paper materials in them such as waxes or plastic.

Other common wish-cycling items at the Recycling Centre are Styrofoam, wrapping paper, toys, window blinds, building materials, office and patio furniture, cupboards and fans. The list is much longer.

Sometimes we can use the items. Sometimes I advertise things or take them to local second hand stores.Most of it ends up in the landfill. Getting it there takes time and uses fuel.

Wish-cycling wastes time and energy.
​
Wishing that something to be recyclable doesn’t mean it is. Please check the website at www.flinflonrecycling.org , our Facebook page or call (204) 687-6169 if you are not sure.  

Originally published Nov 22/17 The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.

Electronic gadgets have become a big part of the things we use each day. They also wear out or are no longer needed.

They should not end their lives in the landfill as they are recyclable.   

The Recycling Centre at 9 Timber Lane accepts electronics for recycling. This includes computers and all their parts, sound systems, televisions, telephones, photocopiers and microwaves.

There is information on the sign at the Recycling Centre and on the web at www.recycleMYelectronics.ca/mb.

Items can be left on the dock at any time.  Bring items between 8 and 3:30 on weekdays or 11 and 2 on weekends if you need help with large items or you want them to be locked up.

The electronics are stacked on pallets and wrapped for shipping to Exner Ewaste, a Manitoba company that meets high safety standards for recycling electronics.

The Recycling Centre has been involved with electronics recycling since 2009. It was a summer program only for the first three years.  

Manufacturers and retailers of electronic products took over responsibility through a non-profit organization called Electronic Products Recycling Association (EPRA) in August 2012. It is required by law to ensure electronics are recycled responsibly in a way that is safe for the workers and the environment.

Electronics recycling conserves resources as the plastics, glass and metals including precious metals are recovered and sold to make new materials.

The environmental handling fee (EHF) added to eligible electronic items at the store funds the program.  The EPRA uses this money to cover the cost of recycling electronics.  They pay the Recycling Centre for collecting and storing the items and the shipping costs.
​
Over 30 metric tons have been shipped in 2017.

November total – 37,397 kg
       
        Co-mingled* - 13,752 kg
        Office Paper – 2,298 kg
        Cardboard – 17,487 kg
        Glass – 3,117 kg
        Books -  743 kg

Total for 2017 – 430,138 kg
Total for 2016 – 407,116 kg
Difference – +23,022 kg


Batteries – 64 kg

* Co-mingled is unsorted materials sent to Winnipeg for sorting

October total – 42,238 kg
       
        Co-mingled* - 13,769 kg
        Office Paper – 3,624 kg
        Cardboard – 20,967 kg
        Glass – 3,860 kg
        Books -  613 kg

Total for 2017 – 392,741 kg
Total for 2016 – 369,490 kg
Difference – +23,251 kg


* Co-mingled is unsorted materials sent to Winnipeg for sorting

​September total – 39,781 kg
       
        Co-mingled* - 13,478 kg
        Office Paper – 3,420 kg
        Cardboard – 18,660 kg
        Glass – 3,610 kg
        Books -  613 kg
       

Total for 2017 – 350,503 kg
Total for 2016 – 332,779 kg
Difference – +17,724 kg


E – waste – 10.14 metric tonnes

* Co-mingled is unsorted materials sent to Winnipeg for sorting