Recyclers wasting money on glass, says resident

Although Turner Valley councillors support a citizen’s suggestion to no longer accept glass at its recycling facility,
administration says it must consult its partners before taking action.

Resident Wayne Lapaire told council at its Jan. 7 meeting it should discourage residents from bringing glass to the Oilfields Recycling Facility as it’s transported to the Foothills Regional Landfill and Resource Recovery Centre south of Okotoks to be disposed of due to the lack of market.

Lapaire’s suggestion follows a notice from the Town on Jan. 4 that encouraged residents to conserve water due to dropping levels in the Town’s raw water reservoir.

“It puts a burden on the water, it puts a burden on energy,” Lapaire said of bringing glass to the centre, adding residents are wasting water washing glass products before driving them to the recycling centre when they just end up in the landfill.

Coun. Barry Crane recommended posting information on social media to discourage people from recycling glass until the reservoir water levels increase.

“We can relay the fact that you’re wasting your time washing it,” he said. “We just need to increase awareness. If you’re worried about your water, don’t waste your time.”

Chief administrative officer Todd Sharpe said Turner Valley must consult with its partners first.

The Oilfields Recycling Facility is a regional service shared between Turner Valley, Black Diamond and Foothills County where users place their recyclables in various labelled bins before the material is compacted into bales and transported to Capital Paper in Calgary. Turner Valley is in charge of the Oilfields facility.

“Whatever we do we will do collectively because we’re three-way partners in the recycling depot,” Sharpe told council.

Council heard the Town paid approximately $880 in tipping fees for glass in 2017, despite the material not being recycled.

While council voted unanimously that administration contact the facility partners with the idea of discontinuing glass collection until the market changes, Coun. Cindy Holladay said residents, in the meantime, would appreciate being told they’re wasting their time and money washing and hauling their glass.

“To me, it would be a sign at the recycle centre saying we will no longer accept glass and sending out a notice to other municipalities,” she said. “I can’t see anyone arguing in the MD (Foothills County) or Black Diamond. Let’s stop wasting people’s time and water. I would prefer to say let’s end it and put up notices.”

Lapaire told the Western Wheel he had asked the Town previously for a regular report on how much material is being collected and how much is going to the landfill.

He was previously Calgary’s information management consultant in the utilities and environmental protection department for years.

“I got no response in terms of the measurement,” he said. “I’m looking for accountability and clarity of what actually is happening at the recycling centre. We deserve to be fully and openly informed on a regular basis.”

Lapaire said the public should be aware that not all plastic material is recycled.

He now brings his own recycling to Calgary.

“Why would this organization not be more forthcoming to the public and let them know when materials were being recycled and when they weren’t,” he said. “It could save energy using your own vehicle to transport things if they just said, ‘I’m sorry there is no market, just put it in your garbage bin because it’s going to landfill anyway.’”

Sharpe said while the public has the right to access this information, a lot of work goes into providing these reports, on top of what administration does day-to-day.

He added the Town trusts that Capital Paper is doing its due diligence when it comes to the region’s recyclables.

“They helped us improve our sorting process so we can maximize the revenues we get off of them,” he said. “They’ve been very forthcoming. We sent our staff to see their operation to understand what happens on the back end.”

Sharpe said the market for plastic is currently in flux with China changing its policies on what it accepts.

“We don’t have answers,” he said. “I’ve provided Wayne a full report of what we’re recycling and what we’re not. We certainly agree the public has a right to access information. It all takes time, effort and resources to produce. If we think there’s changes that need to be made we’ll communicate that.”

Turner Valley budgeted $176,000 in 2018 to operate the Oilfields Recycling Facility, a cost that’s shared equally between the partnering municipalities.

Turner Valley property owners pay $6 monthly to offset the Town’s share for recycling.