Curbside recycling coming to Dawson Creek

Municipal governments could learn a lot from the new curbside recycling system developed by Fort St. John's Eco-Depot Recycling Centre.

The user-pay system that will extend to Dawson Creek Feb.1 not only provides a service to citizens, but also generates revenue for the service provider.

"With a lot of government things, there seems to be a lot of cost overruns," the Eco-Depot's Lindsay Heal said. "When you're a private business you have to pinch every penny and make everything count."

Heal did admit the centre likely couldn't profit from the service if it wasn't an extension of the existing business, and they didn't already have the facilities set up. She also admitted the Eco-Depot is not entirely without government assistance as the Peace River Regional District (PRRD) helps subsidize some aspects of their operations including processing and marketing.

"The reason behind this is with the current economic conditions, most of this material isn't worth very much," she said. "We're paying to ship it out... transportation costs are still high and we're do far north and most of the processing facilities are in Vancouver, Tacoma, Washington."

The cost for the bi-weekly pickup is $12 a month or $144 annually. Heal said there are 450 participants in Fort St. John and credits the popularity for the expansion into Dawson Creek.

"That's one of the biggest reasons we're looking at expanding it and we've had lots of requests from Dawson Creek residents," she said.

As of Jan.1, the limit on household garbage pickup in Dawson Creek was reduced to two bags, or two containers (garbage cans) per household. Heal suggested the recycle program is a great way to reduce the amount of garbage left for regular waste removal.

"You can't put as much garbage at the curb now, so people are even more inclined to recycle," Heal said, adding there is no limit on the amount of recycling bags a household can leave. "So if you have 20 bags, we'll pick up all 20."

After signing up for the service, residents purchase "blue bags" from local grocery stores, Wal-Mart, Canadian Tire or any retailer that sells regular green or black garbage bags. Residents then separate recyclable material into two bags. One bag holds paper products including cardboard, mixed paper and newspaper, while the other holds containers including beverage containers, milk cartons, and tin cans.

For more information on the service or to subscribe, visit www.ecodepotrecycling.com or call the Eco-Depot at 250-785-0300.