Originally published Aug 22/18 The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.
 
True or False

1. The Recycling Centre is a non-profit organization.
2. Recyclables must be sorted before they are brought to the Recycling Centre.
3. The staff at the Flin Flon City Landfill are employed by the Recycling Centre.
4. The money from selling recyclables pays for the cost of recycling.
5. Curbside pickup of recyclables is not available in our communities.
6. Beverage cans and bottles can be returned for deposit in our community.

Answers
               
1. True – The Recycling Centre is operated by the Flin Flon & District Environment Council, Inc., a non-profit organization incorporated in 1995.
              
  2. False – The only materials separated at the Recycling Centre are corrugated cardboard, office paper and aluminum cans which are sold. Glass is removed and used locally. The remaining materials are baled up all together and sent to Winnipeg for sorting.
               
3. True – This contract, the sale of metal for salvage and the subsidies paid for operating the oil and hazardous waste depots and recycling tires helps pay the cost of recycling.
               
4. False – Revenue from selling materials was only 10% of revenue in 2017. Thirty percent of this came from returning beer containers for deposit.
               
5. False – Curbside pickup is provided by Creighton and Denare Beach for their residents. The Recycling Centre provides the service in Flin Flon for a fee. More information is on the website www.flinflonrecycling.org.
               
​ 6. True and false – A deposit is charged on beer containers so they can be returned to vendors in Flin Flon to get the ten cent deposit back.  There is a two cent environment levy on other beverage containers sold in our communities but no deposit is paid so it cannot be returned. 

Originally published Aug 15/18 The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.
 Guest post by summer student Shontal Quinn. 

Working at the recycling center can be a great learning experience for someone who doesn’t recycle.
 
You can learn about the different items that can be recycled or what can’t be. For example, books, paper, batteries, pop cans and plastic bottles can be recycled. Whereas Styrofoam, plastic cutlery or plastic bags cannot be recycled.
 
Being able to see how the different items are brought to the center then sorted is something different to be able to watch. Another thing to learn is the different routes for red bag curbside and business pick-ups the center does.
 
The stuff that is recycled is either dropped off by people, companies or picked up and unloaded by the Recycling Centre. There are different schedules the Recycling Center has to pick up the recycling and there are also different people and businesses that bring items to the Recycling Center.
 
Once they arrive at the center the items go through a sorting process to separate what can be recycled and what can’t be.
 
Creighton’s curbside pick-up days are Thursday and Friday every week. Denare Beach has pick-ups every Tuesday. Flin Flon’s curbside pick-up day for household bags of recycling is Wednesday.
 
As a Creighton resident I didn’t know when Creighton’s pick-up days were.
 
Working there gave me a different view on recycling and the ability to learn more about what recycling is all about.
 
I have decided to recycle at home wherever I live.
 

Originally published Aug 8/18 The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.

Every year the Recycling Centre receives a variety of school supplies that can still be used. 

Some packages of loose leaf paper and dividers for binders have never been opened.
Other items include new or barely used notebooks, binders and many different kinds of paper. There are some rulers, pencils and pens and even a pencil case or two.

I know from experience that there always seems to be extra things left over at the end of school.

I am glad these items are coming to the Recycling Centre rather than being tossed in the garbage.

Reusing things is more important for the environment than recycling so we are giving these supplies away on Saturday August 11 from 1 – 3 at the Flin Flon Public Library.
Many of the notebooks will look almost new, as we have covered up names and removed the one or two pages that were used.

This isn’t just for school kids. There are things that would be useful at home and office including a large supply of many sizes of three ring binders and barely used file folders.

We need to change the way we think. Everything we have is made from something that comes from the earth. We need to reduce what we take and use it completely.
 
I also know that children like the new stuff every year.  Let’s make caring for the environment ‘more cool’ than getting new stuff.

It is important to leave something for our grandchildren.

It also saves money.

Any leftover school supply items that are dropped off at the Recycling Centre by Thursday August 9 will be included in the giveaway.
​
For more information call (204) 687-6169.

Originally published Aug 1/18 The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.

The local recycling program has benefited greatly from the willingness of others to share.

In the beginning, information from Thompson and Portage recyclers about where to ship recyclables and about equipment, pricing and processes was very helpful as our program grew.

Our first three loads were shipped to Winnipeg. Healthy Flin Flon paid for shipping costs for the first load. The company we sent the paper to paid the shipping for two more loads.  

Prices were very high in December, 1994 when we moved indoors. Thompson was shipping their bales to Edmonton. They got a great shipping rate on the truck that delivered oil products to Northern Manitoba as the company was happy they didn’t travel back empty.

Thompson was willing to share shipping with us. It worked well as the truck came through Flin Flon. Our materials were packed in large boxes which sold at a different price than their bales, making it easy to separate the revenue. Thompson paid the shipping and received the money from the sale and sent us a cheque for the revenue for the boxed materials minus half of the shipping costs.

The challenge was finding someone in town who could share their forklift for loading. It needed to be at the Recycling Centre when the truck arrived (usually late in the day) so the truck wouldn’t have to wait.

This was the process for over a year although we were able to purchase a forklift which made shipping much easier.
​
Things changed in the fall of 1996 as we purchased a baler and Thompson began shipping to Winnipeg.  Their willingness to share information made it easy for us to do the same.  

Originally published July 25/18 The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.

There have been some developments I would like to share.

1. We no longer take #3 (PVC) plastic.  This is very rare, but has been designated as garbage by the sorter so we do not want it.

 

1. We need your help. A few people have been entering the trailer in the empty lot beside Canadian Tire and going through the bags. The motive seems to be taking beer cans for return, although sometimes the beer cans are left behind.

 
This creates a big mess.
 
When everything is in closed bags and boxes it takes about a half hour to empty the trailer. When bags have been ripped open, or items have been placed in the trailer without a bag or a box, recyclables fall out onto the ground when the trailer doors are opened.  Our staff have to bag it to take into the Centre for processing.  When there is a lot of a loose material it can take up to three times as long to empty the trailer.
 
If you see anyone in the trailer please call the Centre with a description and a license plate if a vehicle is present.  If you are comfortable doing so, ask them to leave. You can reference the sign on the trailer.
 

1. We are calling recycling companies and crunching numbers as the August 1st increase in sorting costs approaches. There is a better option that will not beat up the budget as severely.

The amount of materials being kept from landfills continues to grow. We are 35 tonnes ahead of last year at the end of June.  The statistics are posted on the News page on our website www.flinflonrecycling.org .

July total – 48,810 kg
       
        Aluminum – 732 kg
        Co-mingled* - 11,660 kg
        Office Paper – 3,982 kg
        Cardboard – 26,216 kg
        Glass – 3,697 kg
        Books -  792

Total for 2018 – 307,212 kg
Total for 2017 – 267,584 kg
Difference – +39,628 kg


E – waste –  10,241 kg
 
Batteries – 44  kg


At the current rate of recycling we will be well over our previous record of 500 tonnes in one year. In the past cardboard has been about 48% of total tonnage. This year it is 52%.