Those who pulled up to Turner Valley’s recycling centre today were met with barricades and signs after the Town of Turner Valley decided this morning to close the facility.
“We had already spoken with staff late yesterday that the closure was impending but we weren’t certain when,” said chief administrative officer Todd Sharpe. “We made the decision this morning and notified our partners: Foothills County and Black Diamond.”
Sharpe said the Town made the decision to close the Oilfields Recycling Centre as a safety measure in light of COVID-19 as residents are required to sort their recyclables into bins while coming in close contact with others.
“Anything that doesn’t promote social distancing and would be a risk to people coming in close proximity is just not wise to continue,” said Sharpe. “There was no direction to close the facility from the Province. This was a local decision that was made to support the social distancing and safety of residents.”
Expecting that plastics, tin, cardboard, glass and paper will pile up while the facility remains closed for an undetermined amount of time, Sharpe said the public has some options.
They can store the materials at their homes or contact a local recycling service provider to request curbside pickup.
“People understand the magnitude of what was happening and we expect people will understand,” Sharpe said. “Our decision is not a permanent one, it’s temporary. We’re hoping people can keep their material until such time as we reopen and then they’re welcome to bring it to us.”
The Oilfields Recycling Centre parking lot has been barricaded to deter people from dropping off their recyclables in haste.
Sharpe said the facility will be closely monitored with security cameras in the event of illegal dumping. Those caught doing so could face a $250 fine, he said.
“We don’t want any littering or anything left behind so we wanted it to be very clear that we are closed for the foreseeable future until things become safer,” he said.
Following today’s closure, Sharpe said the centre’s two full-time employees are sorting and storing the recyclables and closing up the building before being given other duties.
“As of now there is no intention to lay them off,” he said. “They will help with the roads and lanes and parks crew. We have plenty of work that needs to be done, whether it’s regular maintenance or inspections of equipment, those kinds of things.”
Sharpe doesn’t expect a cost savings from closing the facility with the two employees still working, despite recyclables no longer being sold to markets.
“With the nature of the recycling market right now we’re not making a lot of revenue with materials,” he said. “Some we do, some we don’t and some we pay for them to take it away.”
To ease the financial burden on residents, Sharpe said administration will propose to council at a special meeting Friday to wave the $6 recycling fee in residents’ utility bills.
“Because the service is ceased we’re going to recommend to council that we not collect that while the facility is closed,” he said.
Turner Valley Mayor Barry Crane said closing the recycling centre was the right move to make from a health and safety standpoint.
“It’s not an essential service,” he said. “Most people are saying it’s long overdue so it was obvious that people had noticed the increase in traffic and the lack of social distancing when you’re in an environment that has multiple users. That, right now, in this situation, is not what you want to be involving yourself in.”
Crane said staff were trained to take precautionary steps when handling material and were told to stay back when people entered the building.
“The virus lives for different amounts of time on different types of objects,” he said “They understand the risk and they know how to mitigate it.”
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