The Town of Drumheller is asking residents for their input as it explores the possibility of curbside recycling.
Currently, The Town of Drumheller has recycling bins where residents can drop their paper, cardboard, hard plastic and tins. Many in the community have expressed their wish to see recycling picked up at homes. The survey asks a number of questions and based on the response will help to give the town direction.
Drumheller CAO Darryl Drohomerski says there are a number of options on how to handle the recycling and each has advantages and drawbacks. One question is regarding whether residents would like to self-sort, or if they wish to have a single bin where recycling is commingled.
“The challenge that the recycling portion of the landfill has is they can’t easily handle commingled (mixed) recycling. One of two things would have to happen. One is they would need to improve some of their facility by adding some sorting equipment or two, it would need to go to a place like Calgary and be integrated with material that is coming from Calgary and surrounding areas,” he said.
Drohomerski explains that in general material that is sorted at curbside by residents is often of higher quality and fetches a better price, however, the cost to collect is higher. This could be more easily managed by the local facility.
Mixed, or commingled recycling, tends to be less expensive to collect, and of higher volume with better participation. However, the quality is lower and it doesn’t fetch a good. One option is to alternate weekly collection; one week garbage, one week recycling. This could be done with one bin or separate bins.
Within the survey, they are estimating approximately a $10 per month recycling fee, an increase from the current $2. He said this should cover either option.
Another issue is that China stopped accepting recycled material from North America. Much of this was commingled recycling that was dirtier. This has made the recycling markets softer.
Drohomerski says the benefits of recycling include being a better steward of the environment and extending the life of the Drumheller and District Landfill by taking recycling out of the waste stream. It is also something people may look for when choosing a place to live.
“You tend to attract people to your community when you have certain things, and recycling is just a given for people under the age of 30,” he said. “If you tell someone you have curbside recycling they are going to say “of course.” You look at it as a way to make sure you are maintaining a baseline.
To take the survey go to www.dinosaurvalley.com and follow the link under announcements.
