February total – 31,624 kg
       
        Aluminum – 467 kg
        Commingled* - 7,198 kg
        Office Paper – 3,100 kg
        Cardboard – 21,403 kg
        Glass – 2,529 kg
        Books –   
        Other plastics –
        Printer Cartridges –

Total for 2023 – 71,158 kg
Total for 2022 – 76,687 kg
Difference – - 5,529 kg


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


Comments – 

January total – 39,194 kg
       
        Aluminum – 601 kg
        Commingled* - 9,081 kg
        Office Paper – 3,548 kg
        Cardboard – 21,403 kg
        Glass – 3,584 kg
        

Total for 2023 – 39,194kg
Total for 2022 – 40,154 kg
Difference – - 906 kg


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


Comments – 

December total – 35,323 kg
       
        Aluminum – 124 kg
        Commingled* - 8,878kg
        Office Paper – 1,313 kg
        Cardboard – 21,700 kg
        Glass – 2,959 kg
        Books –   
        Other plastics –
        Printer Cartridges –

Total for 2022 – 509,929 kg
Total for 2021 – 564,357 kg
Difference – - 54,428

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


Comments – This is the second year we have recycled less than the year before since the recession of 2009. In 2016 we recycled 2% less than the year before. This year we recycled 10% less!
 
I recently spoke to Thompson Recycling and they recycled 10% less as well. 

There is something bigger happening here. Some possibilities: 

• - Covid made lots of things different.
• - People are consuming less.
• - Packagers are working to reduce the amount of packaging. 
• - There is less paper (fiber) in the waste stream with fewer newspapers, magazines, etc. 

Whatever it is, our total tonnage says something is changing. It will be interesting to see what 2023 brings. 

​ 
November total – 38,093 kg
       
        Aluminum – 439 kg
        Commingled* - 9,024 kg
        Office Paper – 3,155 kg
        Cardboard – 22,869 kg
        Glass – 2,606 kg
        Books –   
        Other plastics –
        Printer Cartridges –

Total for 2022 – 474,606 kg
Total for 2021 – 519,114 kg
Difference – - 44,508 kg


E – waste –   8.5 tonnes shipped
 
Batteries – 450 kg
Fluorescent Bulbs – 18 boxes

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


Comments – 

October total – 35,357 kg
       
        Aluminum – 590 kg
        Commingled* - 9,212 kg
        Office Paper – 2,373 kg
        Cardboard – 22,163 kg
        Glass – 4,019 kg
       
Total for 2022 – 436,513 kg
Total for 2021 – 478,745 kg
Difference – - 42,232


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


Comments – 

​September total – 43,078 kg
       
        Aluminum – 599 kg
        Commingled* - 9,263 kg
        Office Paper – 5,082 kg
        Cardboard – 23,050 kg
        Glass – 4,146 kg
        Books –   758 kg
        Other plastics –
        Printer Cartridges – 180 kg

Total for 2022 – 398,156 kg
Total for 2021 – 434,131 kg
Difference – - 35,975
  
Fluorescent Bulbs – 28 boxes

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


Comments – The negative numbers comparing to last year continue. 20 tonnes is cardboard which reflects the fact that the demand for cardboard in the market place has slowed so much there is a negative value for it now, and we may not be able to ship it in the near future.
The tonnage for this time of year in 2019 and 2020 are very similar to this year, so 2021 seems to be an usually high year. 

August total – 48,053 kg
       
        Aluminum – 957 kg
        Commingled* - 9,773 kg
        Office Paper – 5,916 kg
        Cardboard – 26,388 kg
        Glass – 4,194 kg
        Books –   825 kg
       

Total for 2022 – 355,078 kg
Total for 2021 – 384,041 kg
Difference – - 28,963


E – waste –   9.5 tonnes shipped in July
 

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


Comments – Lower tonnage compared to last year continues. I am not sure why this is happening. It may be that Covid made last year exceptional, or that the changes in our community with the closure of the mine is affecting how much is out there to recycle. It is what it is. 

Having said that, I also know there is a lot more recyclable materials that are going to landfill. We have some work to do in convincing these people and businesses to recycle. 

July total – 47,905 kg
       
        Aluminum – 944 kg
        Commingled* - 10,307 kg
        Office Paper – 7,623 kg
        Cardboard – 24,106 kg
        Glass – 4,925 kg
        Books –   kg
        Other plastics –
        Printer Cartridges -

Total for 2022 – 307,025 kg
Total for 2021 – 332,655 kg
Difference – - 25,630


E – waste –   a trailer load was shipped. We haven’t received the weight stats
 
Batteries – 461 kg
Fluorescent Bulbs – 22 boxes

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

The slide in total tonnage continued this month. The statistics collected were checked for errors and this is correct. The main difference is 14.6 tonnes less of cardboard. Commingled materials are 7.2 tonnes behind, glass; 2.2, and office paper;2 tonnes. Only aluminum cans are ahead at 328 kilograms. Maybe last year was an anomaly created by Covid. This may also reflect the changes in our community with the closure of the Triple 7 mine.  

June total – 49,235 kg
       
        Aluminum – 863 kg
        Commingled* - 10,741 kg
        Office Paper – 6,418 kg
        Cardboard – 26,037 kg
        Glass – 4,074 kg
        Books –   kg
        Other plastics –
        Printer Cartridges – 203 kg

Total for 2022 – 259,120 kg
Total for 2021 – 281,011 kg
Difference – - 21,891

Fluorescent Bulbs – 29 boxes

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

I am not sure why we are so far behind last year. We have been very busy. 

May total – 48,779 kg
       
        Aluminum – 749 kg
        Commingled* - 11,184 kg
        Office Paper – 5,048 kg
        Cardboard – 26,371 kg
        Glass – 4,598 kg
        Books –   kg
        Other plastics –
        Printer Cartridges -

Total for 2022 – 209,885 kg
Total for 2021 – 233,728 kg
Difference – - 23,843


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


Comments – 

        Aluminum – 614 kg
        Commingled* - 9,062 kg
        Office Paper – 4,339 kg
        Cardboard – 23,356 kg
        Glass – 3,977 kg
        
Total for 2022 – 161,106 kg
Total for 2021 – 182,860 kg
Difference – - 21,754 kg

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


Comments –  I'm not sure why we are so behind this year. We are as busy as ever. We are seeing several large loads arrive as people are bringing everything that collected over the winter. 

March total – 42,891 kg
       
        Aluminum – 569 kg
        Commingled* - 8,160 kg
        Office Paper – 5,033 kg
        Cardboard – 25,090 kg
        Glass – 3,264 kg
        Books –  775 kg
      

Total for 2022 – 119,578 kg
Total for 2021 – 132,431 kg
Difference – - 12,853 kg


E – waste –  8,460 kg
 

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


Comments – 

February total – 36,533 kg
       
        Aluminum – 482 kg
        Commingled* - 8,207 kg
        Office Paper – 3,959 kg
        Cardboard – 18,695 kg
        Glass – 3,949 kg
        Books –  
        Other plastics –
        Printer Cartridges – 241 kg

Total for 2022 – 76,687 kg
Total for 2021 – 82,266 kg
Difference – - 5,579 kg


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


Comments – 

January total – 40,154 kg
       
        Aluminum – 622 kg
        Commingled* - 9,081 kg
        Office Paper – 3,707 kg
        Cardboard – 22,833 kg
        Glass – 3,089 kg
        Books –   822
        

Total for 2022 – 40,154 kg
Total for 2021 – 44,035 kg
Difference – -3,881 kg


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


Comments – 

Originally published December 15, 2021    The Reminder, Flin Flon, Mb. 

December is a month for celebrating. In addition to Christmas day, there is a week of celebration of Hannukah and Kwanza.
​
The holiday festivities and gift giving create a lot of leftover materials making it the busiest time of the year at the Recycling Centre as many of these items can be recycled.
 
Many cannot.
 
Recyclable items include plastic, boxboard (light cardboard) and other paper types of packaging materials, printed paper materials including Christmas cards without foil or non-paper decorations, Christmas lights, computers and anything attached to them, televisions, sound systems, telephones, microwaves, household batteries, paint and fluorescent bulbs.
 
Things that are not recyclable include gift wrap, bows, Christmas decorations, #6 plastic items, Styrofoam, plastic bags and wrap, small kitchen appliances and disposable plates, utensils and coffee cups.
 
A complete list of recyclable and non-recyclable items is available in the recycling flier mailed out earlier this year. The flier is available at the Recycling Centre as well.
 
The website has pictures of what is recyclable and what is not at www.flinflonrecycling.org.
 
If you are unsure, please call the Centre at 204 687-6169.  We love answering questions.
 
Remember the three R’s this holiday season: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
 
Reduce by making a donation to a charity in honour of that special someone.
 
Reuse gift bags and wash dishes instead of using disposables. Regift items you no longer use.
 
As we enter another year, we need to move towards a circular economy that recovers, reuses and recycles as much as possible instead of the current linear one of take, make, waste.
 
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone from the Flin Flon Recycling Centre. Be kind to each other and to Mother Earth.

Originally published December 1, 2021   The Reminder, Flin Flon, Mb. 

​November 3, the second day of the annual MARR forum in Winnipeg was full of information.

The theme of the conference was the circular economy. After video greetings from the minister of Conservation and Climate Sarah Guillemard, the forum moderator described how the circular economy is moving away from the current straight-line economy of ‘make, use, throw away’, to one where recovering, reusing, and recycling things will be the priority.  

Presenters from the government of Manitoba brought information about their current review of waste management and recycling programs in Manitoba to the whole group before two smaller group sessions in the morning.

There were two choices for each time slot for breakout sessions.

The new fully automated recycling sorting facility operated by GFL in Winnipeg gave a virtual tour.

Information about the operation of the RM of Rockwood transfer station and the SWAMP regional waste management site that is shared by Winkler, Morden and the RM of Stanley was available in another session.

Other presentations focused on cardboard recycling and the mattress recycling program at Mother Earth.

The afternoon began with information from Environment and Climate Change Canada about their plans for single use plastics ban and from a plastics recycling plant in Ontario operated by EFS Plastics.

The smaller sessions were focused on hauling recyclables including batteries, electronics, hazardous waste out of winter road communities, composting, its value and how it works, and recycling large appliances including those with refrigerant.

There were many interesting bits of information that will be shared in the next column.
​
Much of this information will be presented again as webinars on December 7 and 14 for anyone who is interested. Contact the Recycling Centre for more information. 

Originally published November 17, 2021   The Reminder, Flin Flon, Mb. 

Every fall the Manitoba Association of Regional Recyclers holds a forum and tours about waste diversion and recycling. It was five webinars in 2020.

This year’s forum was in person with a focus on the circular economy.

It began with an afternoon tour on November 2.  

The bus took us to the old Summit Road landfill. It was opened in the 1940’s and closed in the early 2000’s. It is flat without much cover causing drainage and leachate problems. The City of Winnipeg has a ten-year project fabricating soil to cover it.  

The soil is created by making two windrows of wood ships like the outside of a taco. Biosolids from the sewage treatment plant are placed in the middle. Sand recovered from street sweeping covers it up. This sits for 6 – 12 months and then is spread back and forth with a bulldozer to create a layer of soil.

The area is being built up 12 inches; 6 inches at a time. A cover crop is planted after the first six inches. When it is finished, native prairie grasses and plants are planted.

This layer provides better cover that reduces the amount of water entering the landfill which produces toxic leachate.

The second stop was Brady landfill. There are stations at the entrance for all the recyclable items and compostable yard waste. The only fee is a charge for mattresses. Anything that is left (which usually isn’t very much) goes to the landfill for a $20.00 minimum tipping fee.

We also saw the compost area and the methane burner that reduces the greenhouse gases escaping the landfill.
​
It is great to see how other communities are reducing waste.

Originally published November 3, 2021  The Reminder, Flin Flon, Mb. 

This subject has addressed in past years but this is not a ‘recycled’ column.

Inspiration comes from two incidents in the past week.

I received a call from a concerned citizen asking who enforced environment laws. He walks his dog at the end of Tweedsmuir Street and was upset by the mess. He mentioned there is usually some garbage but he had come across a much larger mess on his last visit.

I referred him to the City of Flin Flon Bylaw officer as it is in City limits. Manitoba Conservation and Climate is the place to call outside of City limits.

When I was leaving work, I observed a truck and trailer with brush enter the lot across the street. The driver stopped at the back end of the lot and unloaded the brush from his trailer.

This is illegal dumping. It happens in many places around our community.

It is very hard to get sufficient evidence to charge and fine these polluters.

All of this reminded me of a customer who dropped off recycling and wanted to leave a screen tent he no longer wanted. We told him we don’t take them. He didn’t want to go to the landfill just for that.

He is not alone. Others that we don’t see leave a variety of non-recyclable items.  Yesterday it was two vacuum cleaners.

These things belong in the landfill.  The tipping fee of $10.00 is a small price to pay to keep our community clean and wild areas wild.
​
On a positive note, we receive many calls for information about where the best ‘away’ place is for a variety of items. These people want to do the right thing. 

        Aluminum – 506 kg
        Commingled* - 10,245 kg
        Office Paper – 3,531 kg
        Cardboard – 26,455 kg
        Glass – 4,506 kg
        

Total for 2021 – 564,357 kg
Total for 2020 – 538,082 kg
Difference – +26,275 kg

 
Batteries – 345 kg - a pallet of 15 boxes. 
         Note: beginning in 2022, we will be shipping a pallet of boxes about twice a year.

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

Comments – 2021 was another successful year for our recycling program. It was a bit unusual as 20 tonnes of the extra 26 recycled this year was office paper, most of it shredded.  
​
It is encouraging that we had 4 tonnes more of commingled materials. This weight has been decreasing the past few years as there is less newspaper and packaging has gotten lighter. These factors haven't changed so this indicates more people are recycling. We have been much busier this year with these materials. 

Other increases in materials were 606 kg more aluminum cans and 2.3 tonnes of cardboard. Glass was almost a tonne less than last year. 

November total – 40,369 kg
       
        Aluminum – 642 kg
        Commingled* - 9,5325 kg
        Office Paper – 3,028 kg
        Cardboard – 23,945 kg
        Glass – 3,222 kg
      
Total for 2021 – 519,514 kg
Total for 2020 – 488,958 kg
Difference – +30,156 kg

 
Batteries –100 kg

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


Comments – 

October total – 44,614 kg     

​        Aluminum – 618 kg
        Commingled* - 10,295 kg
        Office Paper – 5,136 kg
        Cardboard – 24,233 kg
        Glass – 3,616 kg
        Books –   716 kg
        Other plastics –

Total for 2021 – 478,745 kg
Total for 2020 – 439,885 kg
Difference – +38,860 kg

 
Batteries –87 kg

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


Comments – 

Originally published October 6, 2021   The Reminder, Flin Flon, Mb. 

I’ve been concerned about how much commingled materials we recycle every month for a couple of years. The total weight compared to the previous year was falling each month. This tonnage is a major factor in the calculation of the subsidy we receive from industry each year.

Commingled materials are the recyclables that are baled together to be sorted in Winnipeg. We stopped most sorting in 2013 as we struggled financially, did not have the space, couldn’t keep up and needed more staff who were receiving minimum wage. This decision reduced or eliminate all of those problems.

Aluminum beverage containers, corrugated cardboard, office paper and glass are still separated. Glass is reused locally and the other materials are sold. Newspaper has not been separated out since June 2017.

The decrease in tonnage compared to previous years began in July 2018. Until then monthly totals were 11 to 15 metric tons or tonnes.

In 2019 eleven tonnes was the usual weight each month.  Some months were in the single digits. By December, it was 12 tonnes behind 2018.  

Only one month reached 11 tonnes in 2020. Four months were less than 10 tonnes. By December, it was nine tonnes behind 2019 and 30 tonnes behind the total for 2017.

Things began to change in November of 2020. The weights compared to the previous year are increasing. It is now four tonnes ahead of last year. Monthly weights are still less than 12 tonnes.

Why is this happening? The biggest factor in the lower numbers is significantly fewer newspapers and magazines in the mix. They weigh the most.
​
The increases in the last year indicate that more people are recycling which is good news.  

Originally published September 22, 2021  The Reminder, Flin Flon, Mb. 

​Manitoba is reviewing provincial recycling and waste diversion programs. A survey of Manitobans between January 21 and February 10, 2021. 1052 people completed the survey.

The results showed that people were not confident about three things.  

First, they were unsure what can be recycled. Second was not knowing how to prepare or clean items. Third was a lack of confidence that items collected are actually being recycled.

Here is a look at each of these concerns.

1. Information about what is recyclable is made available in a variety of ways: on the website, www.flinflonrecycling.org, on the Flin Flon Recycling Facebook group, and in a flier mailed to all homes in our communities and available from the Recycling Centre, a roadside sign, radio announcements and this newspaper column. Centre staff are always willing to answer questions by telephone at (204) 687-6169 or by emailing recycled@mymts.net .

   
    2.    Recyclables should not be drippy, sticky or gooey. Drink containers should be                well drained. Food should be removed from containers. A quick rinse may be                enough. Others need to be washed.   
    
    3.     The Recycling Centre has checked the companies that receive our materials in               Winnipeg and is confident that all the items collected locally are recycled.                       These   companies sort and sell them to mills in Minnesota and Eastern                         Canada and the US. They pay the Recycling Centre more for cardboard,                         aluminum and office paper than the tipping fees they would be charged at                    landfills.     

            There are two exceptions. Glass is crushed and used to replace cover material              at the landfill. Non-recyclable items, items that are too dirty and paper items                that get wet because the containers in the bag were not empty also go to the                 landfill.  

Originally published September 8, 2021   The Reminder, Flin Flon, Mb. 

​The three R’s of waste reduction – reduce, reuse, recycle - is a hierarchy. The actions are in the order of most to least important.

While recycling has great value in reducing waste in landfills it is third in line. It also seems to be the easiest as most communities have active recycling programs.

The Flin Flon & District Environment Council, Inc which operates the Recycling Centre is a non-profit organization whose main goal is to promote environmental protection so being environmentally responsible guides our activities.

Reusing is a large part of our program.

Large plastic bags for the loose materials carts and for managing sorted materials are reused many times.

Large boxes used for produce at grocery stores are reused to ship books and large plastics. 

Reusable school supplies are given away.

Many of the non-recyclable items we receive are taken to the second-hand stores or advertised on social media. We strongly recommend that people take these items to the stores or advertise them instead of bringing them to us as we do not have a lot of space or time.

People have a lot of ideas about ways to reuse items that we recycle. Some examples are pop bottles, egg cartons, small plastic ice cream containers (for soup from the Food Bank), tin cans, fliers for fire starter or packing and jars.

We receive requests for cardboard boxes for moving or shipping items. We need at least a few hours’ notice to collect them as most boxes are baled up right away. We usually have a supply of bubble wrap and packing paper to go with them.
​
For more information call the Recycling Centre at (204) 687-6169.

​Originally published August 25, 2021  The Reminder, Flin Flon, Mb. 

If you read this column regularly, you may have noticed it was missing last week.  We recently lost the column’s sponsor. The Reminder is looking for a new one. We will make sure the column continues to get information to you about the community recycling program.

We have made one change. We will be publishing every other week. This is partly due to workload. We also hope it will make it easier to find another sponsor.

We have been busy shipping.

Four tub skids of paint, two barrels of aerosol cans, one barrel each of fire extinguishers, green propane cylinders and light ballasts along with pails of materials from cleaning up paint spills were shipped from the Household Hazardous Waste depot at the landfill on Thursday.

Please note that all hazardous items must be in their original containers so people handling it at the disposal site know what they are dealing with and can handle it safely.

Tuesday this week is shipping day at the Recycling Centre. We are space challenged, especially just before shipping. Check the Flin Flon Recycling page on Facebook for pictures.

Last year we shipped 26 semi loads of compressed materials. That is the amount of space saved in local landfills.

We receive diapers occasionally. Often it is a small black bag that goes straight to the dumpster.

We missed two recently. We had to take a bale apart and remove contaminated items for the first one. The smell after a baler press alerted us to the second one. Fortunately, it was contained inside a box on the top of materials inside the baler and easily removed.
​
It is always interesting what things people wish were recyclable!