Originally published Dec 11/19 The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.

(A slightly updated version of the column that is published every year at this time.)

The holiday season is a busy time at the Recycling Centre. Festivities and gift giving creates 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 #3 and #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, 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(PETE) or #5(PP) 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 or similar service.  Or give it away.

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

A donation to the SPCA, Food bank or another charity in honour of someone on your list makes our community / world a better place without creating waste.
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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 4/19 The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.

The ongoing challenges of recycling markets brought changes to our program this past week.

We receive a large amount of pill bottles, mostly from the pharmacies. These were shipped separately in large plastic bags because they would fall out of the bales, especially if there was a large number all at once.

The white pill bottles are #2 coloured plastic which is a very recyclable plastic. We were being paid $25/tonne for them but that had changed to a charge of $35.00/tonne. The amount we shipped was small so the costs were less than $10.00.

We shipped a box last Tuesday. Thursday morning the company we ship to informed us they no longer had a market for pill bottles.  The company they sold them to had lost its buyer for the ground plastic made from the bottles.

All is not lost. There is a market for #2 coloured plastic. Larger pill bottles mixed in with the other materials will not fall out of a bale.

This means that we can still recycle pill bottles that are at least three inches tall at the shoulder, the rounded edge at the top.

The other part of the discussion with the company made me wish we had more space. The #2 natural plastic like milk jugs is valuable at $600/tonne.

The problem is we would need to save half a semi-trailer of jugs to make one bale as they are so bulky.

The semi-trailers attached to our building are used for storing e-waste, aluminum cans for baling, bins of glass and the wheeled carts we move recyclables in.

This is one opportunity we will have to pass up.

Just to clarify, we will continue to recycle this plastic but will not separate it out and sell it. It will go with the rest of the commingled materials for sorting in Winnipeg. 

Originally published Nov 27/19 The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.

Who pays to take care of all the waste we create?

Cities and towns are responsible for managing waste. That was much easier and cheaper when everything was garbage and just went into the landfill.

Landfills are no longer the best way. They take up lots of space, are expensive, and can harm the environment.

Much of the materials in waste can be recycled. Hazardous things need to be kept out of the environment.  

So who pays for that? Municipalities already spend lots of money on waste management. They can’t do it all.

The Province of Manitoba requires industries to help with the costs.
  
Every time a company sells recyclable products in Manitoba, it must pay the set fee for the item to a fund that helps municipalities with the ‘end of life’ costs. This includes tires, oil products, beverage containers, food and products with recyclable packaging, newspapers, electronics, fluorescent bulbs and hazardous materials.  This extra cost may be charged to consumers as an enviro fee.

Where does that money go?

To the PRO’s – Producer Responsibility Organizations. These are non-profit organizations run by industry responsible for paying to cover recycling costs. Some is paid to municipalities. Some pays the shipping and handling fees needed to recycle these products.  

Some PRO names are like alphabet soup:  MMSM, CBCRA, EPRA, MARRC.  Other are more obvious like Mb Tire Stewardship.  The PRO’s have paid the Recycling Centre more than $129,500.00 in 2019.
The majority is for print and packaging materials (PPM). It was also paid for recycling tires, oil, hazardous waste and electronics. 
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This money comes from industry who created the waste, not from taxes.
 
The PRO’s make recycling happen in Manitoba.  

Originally published Nov 20/19 The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.

Contamination was the topic of a panel discussion at the recent MARR forum in Winnipeg.

The representative of the company who sorts and sells our recyclables stated that allowable contamination rates have dropped from 5% to 0.5% in the past year.

The easiest place to prevent contamination is at the source: in homes and businesses. We try to remove everything that isn’t recyclable at the Centre, but the less we have to remove the better.

It is important to know what is recyclable in our community.

Common contamination items are plastic bags and wrap, black plastic of any kind, mixed material items such as cardboard and metal containers, coffee cups, disposable plates and utensils, disposable paper products like paper towel, food stained boxes, waxy boxes and food bags.

The other big contamination problem is liquids contaminating paper items. Many bottles arrive with the lid on and a teaspoon or two of liquid in them. When these are pressed into the bale, they leak onto paper items making them garbage.

Beverage containers should be drained and have the lids removed.

Empty the bottle and give it a shake. A couple of drips is okay. A teaspoon or two is not.

To avoid contamination, make sure items sent to the Centre are on the list of recyclables. Many items that people wish are recyclable are not.

If you are not sure check the pictures of recyclable and non-recyclable items on the website flinflonrecycling.org or call us at (204) 687-6169.

Here are two things to remember:

First, we recycle PPM – packaging and print materials. This does not include toys, dishes, and large metal items.

Second, microwaves are the only recyclable household appliance. 

Originally published Nov 13/19 The Reminder. Flin Flon, Mb. Sponsored by North of 53 Consumers Coop.

Last week I wrote about the tours that were part of the annual Manitoba Association of Regional Recyclers (MARR) event in Winnipeg October 29.

The Forum the following day was full of information. Two panel discussions on focused plastics and contamination in recycling with the whole group.

There were several half hour breakout sessions to choose from. They included success stories from Brokenhead Objibway First nation, Morden Winkler regional landfill (SWAMP), and the RM of St. Andrews.

ReGen Plastics Recycling in Winnipeg updated participants on their business successes and challenges.

Three sessions featured information from the organizations responsible to make recycling happen. The first focused on all things related to vehicles – oil/antifreeze, tires and batteries. The second focused on electronics – cell phones, household batteries and electronics.  The third featured Productcare which is responsible for hazardous waste.

One session talked about the challenges and successes of removing recyclable materials out of remote communities. Another described a composting service run by the Green Action Centre. Winnipeg’s planning for Metropolitan regional waste management was also discussed.  

What I remember most is that the current downturn in recycling will continue for another two to five years before new mills will be able to manage all the recyclables.

The other revelation came at a Tuesday supper meeting with people working with the federal government to develop waste management in remote First Nations communities.

One person commented that diapers were a major problem for waste management in his community. I asked if there was access to laundry facilities. One person responded somewhat exasperated that the community didn’t even have running water.

Many communities are facing big challenges to do more with so much less than we have. 

        Aluminum – 342 kg
        Commingled* - 9,890 kg
        Office Paper – 2,846 kg
        Cardboard – 23,376 kg
        Glass – 3,552 kg
        Other plastics – 124 kg

Total for 2019 –  479,400 kg
Total for 2018 – 472,924 kg
Difference – 6,476 kg

 
Batteries – 51 kg

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