It was part of a conversation again last week. The person said something I have heard since recycling began. “Most of the stuff sent for recycling just ends up in the landfill.”
This belief probably had its beginning in fact somewhere many years ago. It may still be partially or completely true in some places but it is the exception not the rule.
Any operation produces some garbage. The average recycling centre or Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) where materials are processed for shipping has an average garbage rate of 5%.
The Recycling Centre is very aware of the trust the public places in us to keep recyclables out of the landfill and send them on to a new life.
Recyclables from Flin Flon are sent to Cascades Recovery, Inc., in Winnipeg. We pay $45.00/tonne for materials to be sorted. Landfill tipping fees in Winnipeg are $65.00/tonne so it is highly unlikely recyclables are being sent to landfill as the company would be losing money.
We have toured Cascades operations twice. We have seen the sort line, and bales of materials stored for shipping to mills for recycling.
We are also very confident that the electronics we ship are recycled. In April, 2105 two of us had the opportunity to tour Exner Ewaste in Elie, Manitoba which is where our electronics are recycled.
The Electronic Products Recycling Association which pays for ewaste recycling has very stringent requirements for the recycling process. They make sure the recycling process is safe for workers and that recycling happens without damaging the environment.
There are pictures from the Cascades tour and a news item about ewaste recycling on our facebook page: Flin Flon Recycling.