The city of North Battleford is excited about its extensive plans to revamp the way recycling is done in the city this fall.
Beginning Sept. 1, curbside recycling will be offered, along with an additional recycling depot and other changes designed to make it easier for city residents to make the choice to recycle.
At city hall Monday during their August council meeting, director of public works and engineering Stewart Schafer outlined some of the changes coming beginning September 1, when the single stream recycling program comes into effect.
The most important change starting Sept. 1 is the introduction of curbside recycling where North Battleford residents will have the option of having recycle materials picked up at their residences.
The program is offered by Lorass Environmental Services through their division All Green Recycling. For a fee of $8 per month, households will receive one 95 gallon blue recycling cart in which to place their recyclables at the curb.
"We're very excited with the recycle program," Schafer told council. This program will be in addition to the recycle bins currently being offered.
Another change will make it easier for residents to recycle, as they will no longer need to organize the recycle materials - cardboard, paper, aluminum and tin cans, milk and juice cartons, household plastic containers, and so on -- and place them into corresponding bins at the recycling depot.
Instead, residents can simply place most of their recycle materials, except for glass, in any of the recycle bins and Loraas Environment Services will sort the materials on their own. Glass will still be collected in its own bin.
A key point Schafer makes is "they are now taking plastic." Any household plastic containers featuring on them the familiar triangle symbol with a number from 1 to 7 located inside will be accepted in the program.
Another change coming will be an additional recycling depot to meet the demand for more recycling options. On Sept.1 a third recycle depot will also be opening up at 12th Avenue and 97th Street. This will be in addition to the two recycle depots currently in existence, one located at Frontier Mall and the other located across from the Band Hall at 19th Avenue-104th Street.
Schafer said the additional depot was needed because "the community is getting on the bandwagon" of recycling.
It was emphasized at the meeting that the curbside recycling is offered not by the city but by Loraas, who will be responsible for sorting the recycle materials and running the program. Anyone with questions or seeking information on the curbside recycling can contact Loraas Environmental Services at 445-3900.
