Trash Talking – Round Two
Prince George, B.C.- For the second time this year, the Regional District of Fraser Fort George wants to do some Trash Talking.
The RDFFG has launched a survey to collect your thoughts on the new Waste Management Plan. It is a Provincial requirement that there be a 10 year waste management plan, but things have changed since the last plan was put in place in 2008. The most significant change has been the introduction of curbside recycling in the City of Prince George.
Rachael Ryder is the Waste Diversion Project Leader, who explains the reason for this second survey on Waste Management this year “During the first round, we were looking at how did people think we were doing at that point” says Ryder ” This second round of consultation is to look at the recommendations that we put together to move forward with.”
The recommendations are as follows:
- Holding reuse events across the region, like community swaps. (i.e. Junk in the Trunk community sales)
- Establishing campaigns to encourage waste reduction behaviours, like using cloth shopping bags, refillable mugs, and reducing the amount of food waste we throw out.
- Setting residential garbage can limits and garbage cart fees at levels that encourage residents to use local recycling and composting opportunities.
- Implementing residential curbside recycling collection in Mackenzie, Valemount and McBride if/when funding for this service becomes available from organizations like Multi-Material BC.
- Encouraging more recycling by businesses and multi-family buildings (e.g. apartments and condos), restrict the disposal of recyclable materials in the garbage.
- Assessing the feasibility of reusing and recycling components of the waste generated by construction and demolition activities.
- Developing a region-wide strategy to tackle illegal dumping.Ryder says while curbside recycling has made a significant change, “We still have a long way to go to reach our target of 50% diversion.”Ryder says the results of this survey, will be compiled and the final plan could be ready for RDFFG Board approval as early as January.
- The 2016 budget for solid waste management in the Regional District is projected to be $9.5 million. If all the recommendations are approved, they will add about $400 thousand dollars to that budget over the next 4 years.
One of the challenges is to reduce waste from construction and demolition. “Right now there are not a lot of recycling opportunities for that activity” says Ryder, “If you go to the lower mainland, when they build they have to make sure they are recycling as much as they can, but in the North, there are not as many opportunities to recycle. We want to look at this further and work with the construction, demolition groups to try and find alternative avenues for these materials rather than the landfill.” The survey takes just a few minutes to complete and can be accessed here. http://www.rdffg.bc.ca/services/environment/solid-waste-management/RSWMP
The Regional District has already approved making improvements to the Foothills Landfill in Prince George, as well as closing the Mackenzie Landfill and replacing it with a transfer station that will be used to move garbage from Mackenzie to the Foothills Landfill.
Ryder says while curbside recycling has made a significant change, “We still have a long way to go to reach our target of 50% diversion.”
One of the challenges is to reduce waste from construction and demolition. “Right now there are not a lot of recycling opportunities for that activity” says Ryder, “If you go to the lower mainland, when they build they have to make sure they are recycling as much as they can, but in the North, there are not as many opportunities to recycle. We want to look at this further and work with the construction, demolition groups to try and find alternative avenues for these materials rather than the landfill.”
The survey takes just a few minutes to complete and can be accessed here.
Ryder says the results of this survey, will be compiled and the final plan could be ready for RDFFG Board approval as early as January.
The 2016 budget for solid waste management in the Regional District is projected to be $9.5 million. If all the recommendations are approved, they will add about $400 thousand dollars to that budget over the next 4 years.
Comments
I tried switching from a medium garbage can to a smaller one, and the city told me it will cost me a 50 bucks.
There is some good incentive.
Good point done right. they missed the boat on that, if a person wants to downsize the bin, it should be free, upsizing is $50.
Had to do a dump run in Penticton, they had it well laid out, with being able to segregate your garbage. They had a metal area, cardboard, recyclables, propane tank, gypsum, wood, paints and fluids. They did a bang up job. Burns Lake is another one that is doing it well.
I don’t mind segregating it, as long as the other end is segregated. Reduce what we are burying.
The future mines will be out landfills.
From the City of PG website FAQ:
“What if my cart capacity needs change?
Residents whose cart capacity needs change may obtain information on how to change their cart capacity by calling the City’s Service Centre at 561-7600. A $30 exchange fee will apply for all cart exchanges up or down in size.
Exceptions:
For new homeowners, there will be a six month grace period in which the container can be exchanged one time for no fee.”
If their excuse for the $30 fee is the cost to have someone come out and change it out, then there should be a way that the home owner can bring in the big one and exchange it to a smaller one at no cost.
A few years ago I wanted to have no garbage can. More for bears than recycling. The city rep said no problem but they would still charge for a small can anyway. So I kept a small can. And I kept the bears.
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