Originally published Jan 16/19 The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.

It is official. The total weight of materials recycled in 2018 is 510,361 kg or 510 metric tons or tonnes. This is a new record. The previous record was 500 set in 2007.

It is 47 tonnes more than 2017.

That is the big picture. It is always important to look at the details for a better picture.

The numbers for the different materials are:  Aluminum 2,767 kg, Commingled materials (sorted in Winnipeg) 153,193 kg, Corrugated cardboard 272,770 kg, Glass 45,846, Office paper including shred 37,045 and books and other items 6,452. (1,000 kg makes one tonne.)

The biggest increase was 50 tonnes in cardboard. This indicates that more businesses are recycling and some regulars like the Coop are recycling more.  The dumpster rates set by the City of Flin Flon increased last year which may have resulted in the increase.

Two items decreased.

Office paper was down just over a tonne.

The biggest surprise is the drop in commingled materials which includes the aluminum as it was included in previous years. This category is mostly the recyclables coming from homes. It was down by 6,497 kg or almost 6.5 tonnes.

This is a change as it increased 4,152 kg in 2016 and 7,714 in 2017.

Why? There could be several reasons.

The first thing that comes to mind is that fewer homes are recycling.

Other possibilities are people are consuming less so there is less packaging to recycle which would be a good thing. Or the percentage of plastics could have increased reducing the weight as they are lighter than fiber materials like fliers, magazines and boxboard.
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The goal is to reverse this trend in 2019.

Originally published Jan 9/19 The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.

The last column stated that a down turn in world recycling markets in 2018 will not result in another financial crisis for the local recycling program.

A better business plan, more support from municipalities and increased recycling subsidies moved the program from financial crisis to manageable. 

Increased recycling rates continued to be the Organization’s priority. Convenience is the key which is achieved mainly through curbside pickup.

In 2010, the Recycling Centre introduced the red bag curbside pickup program. Red was chosen as it is not a common colour for bags. The cost of the red bag covers the program’s expenses.  

Curbside pickup happens Wednesday mornings in Flin Flon only since Creighton began providing recycling pickup in 2014.

The City of Flin Flon purchased a trailer parked beside Canadian Tire in 2014 to provide more convenience for its citizens.

Finances were still very challenging until October 2013 when the decision was made to bale materials together and pay for sorting in Winnipeg. Finances and operations improved immensely.

A second baler with a conveyor feed was installed early in 2018. It bales only the materials sorted in Winnipeg. Without it, the Centre could not keep up with processing everything that comes in.

A new record of 510 tonnes was set in 2018.

The increase in tonnage, business pickups and tasks such as emptying the trailer requires more staff hours.  Sorting and shipping costs have increased and prices are lower for materials sold.   

All of this has resulted in the need for a modest increase in business pick up fees for the first time since 2014.
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Municipal costs are also increasing slightly after remaining steady for the past 5 years. 

Originally published Dec 19/18 The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.

As 2018 draws to a close recycling is on track to set a new record.

At the end of November, 472.9 metric tons or tonnes have been processed. The average monthly tonnage is 42.9. Last year 463 tonnes were processed.  So doing the math, 515 tonnes is the expected total for 2018.

The previous record was 500 in 2007.

The big picture is interesting.  2007 was the beginning of a low point in the recycling cycle. Tonnage in 2008 and 2009 was below 300 as cardboard was not collected because mills wanted payment to take it which was not affordable. Flin Flon and Creighton contributed extra funding both years to keep it recycling afloat financially.

Ten years later there are tough times once again in global recycling markets resulting in lower prices for the materials and higher sorting costs in Winnipeg.

Recycling will not need a bail out to stay afloat this year however.

What has changed?

As strong show of support for community recycling at a public meeting in 2009 encouraged the Board of Directors of the Flin Flon & District Environment Council, Inc. to keep operating the program.

It also helped convince Flin Flon and Creighton that their contributions, which had not changed much in ten years while tonnages tripled, needed to increase.

The Board of Directors began to develop better business plans.

The almost free curbside and business pickups ended. Business pickups were resumed with a fee at the request of businesses. Cardboard recycling resumed as markets improved.

Next week’s column will look at more operational changes and the resources needed to move forward.
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Check out the ‘About Us’ tab on our website: www.flinflonrecycling.org.  

Originally published Dec 5/18 The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.

Mixed material items are one of the biggest sources of garbage at the Recycling Centre.

Recyclables are separated by the kind of material they are made of. The main categories are corrugated cardboard, paper products, tin and aluminum. Plastics containers are separated by the kind of plastic identified by the number on them.

Items made up of two kinds of materials that cannot be separated are garbage.  The most common examples are  coffee, Pringles and other ‘cans’ made with cardboard sides and metal bottoms,  padded envelopes with paper and plastic and the liners of Hello Fresh food boxes that have a foil coating for insulation.

It would be best if they did not arrive at the Recycling Centre.

Other mixed materials can be separated easily. Examples are Styrofoam and plastic bags in cardboard boxes, plastic liners in cereal and frozen pizza boxes and the plastic wrap on magazines and around cardboard flats that held cans or bottles.

These items are usually separated at the Recycling Centre which slows processing.
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Cigarette packages usually go in the garbage as they are wrapped in plastic and have foil inside the box which cannot be removed easily.  Occasionally some will arrive that have been stripped of the extras. These should be put in a separate bag and marked so staff knows to put them in the bale not the garbage.

Juice boxes/tetra packs and milk cartons are an exception. Companies creating these containers developed a process and designed the containers so they can be separated and recycled.

It would be great if all manufacturers were this responsible.

Staples and paper clips in paper do not have to be removed.
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Call (204) 687-6169 for more information.