Prince George, B.C.-  Recycling  is in the spotlight this week as there are two  events that will have an  impact.

Junk in the Trunk sale in fall of 2013 – photo 250News archive

One  will see  changes in the  location of many recycling  bins located in the City of Prince George, and the other  calls  on  you  to  recycling unwanted items by taking part in  the Junk in the Trunk sale.

First off,  tomorrow is the day  several recycling drop  bins will  close  and  new locations will be  established throughout the  Regional District of Fraser Fort George.

Because the Multi-Materials BC  blue bin program  is picking up  recyclables at curbside for  most Prince George residents,  four  of the  drop bins in the city are no longer needed and will be moved.  “We  will still have a drop bin at 18th and Quinn” says the Regional District’s Rachael Ryder, “Folks who live in apartments  aren’t part of the blue bin program so  the 18th and Quinn bin will remain open”.

Other  drop sites that will remain in place are:

• Vanway Transfer Station
• Cumming Rd. Transfer Station
• Shelley Transfer Station
• McBride Transfer Station
• Valemount Transfer Station
• Mackenzie

There will be  some new recycling  drop bin sites  throughout the region.  The following  areas will see new  recycling drop bins  as of  Wednesday October 1st

• Bear Lake Transfer Station (Marshalling Area)
• Chief Lake Transfer Station
• West Lake Transfer Station
• Buckhorn Transfer Station
• Hixon Transfer Station (Marshalling area)
• Willow River Transfer Station

The  changes will see the elimination of the following  drop bins as of October 1st:

•  Bon Voyage Plaza
•  Ferndale Fire Hall
•  Hart Mall
•  Nechako Bottle Depot
•  Our Saviours Lutheran Church (Prince George)
•  Lakewood Alliance Church (Prince George)

Not only is the Regional District  adding new  recycling spots,  it will be expanding the  type of materials that can be recycled.  The  additional items  better reflect the kinds of items that are being collected through the Blue bin  program operated by MMBC.

And then there’s the Junk in the Trunk  sale.  In the spring and fall of each year,  the Regional District invites folks to pay $10 dollars for a stall at the CN Centre parking lot  and sell their  used and no longer wanted items.  Last October,  there were 50 stalls sold, but  a nasty turn in the weather  kept some  at home.  “We are starting to get calls now and by  later this week, we should have  about 50 vendors ready to go” says Rachael Ryder.  “The good news is, the weather is  going to cooperate, so that  should make for a good sale.”

Ryder says the recycle bins and the Junk in the Trunk sale are both aimed at  diverting  materials  from the Foothills Landfill, “In the long run,  this kind of work  should be able to  extend the  life of the landfill because the more we divert  from the landfill, the better.”