Local residents can look forward to unlimited packaging and printed paper recycling when the curbside pickup program begins in Prince George this September.
According to Ed Walsh, Emterra Environmental's B.C vice president of operations, homeowners receiving curbside garbage collection will receive two blue boxes, likely to be a little smaller than a laundry basket for the new curbside recycling program.
Emterra was the successful proponent of a bid put out by Multi-Material B.C. (MMBC) for local recycling collection.
MMBC represents a variety of producers of packaging and printed paper products, which the province legislated in 2011 as being responsible for the stewardship of the materials they introduce to consumers as of May 19.
One container is for printed paper and the other is for packaging and plastics.
When collected once every two weeks, workers will manually empty those boxes into the company's split-body trucks.
"It's a truck that carries both the containers and the fibres separately in different compartments," explained Walsh. "Then it's dumped separately at the processing facility and then dealt with there."
And residents won't be limited to those two containers Emterra is contracted to provide.
What typically happens, said Walsh, if customers need more recycling picked up, is they can set out a container of a similar size such as a cardboard box or a laundry hamper.
"That's the difference, of course, between garbage and recycling contracts where recycling collection is unlimited service, you're not penalized for putting out more recycling," said Walsh. "Not only is it beneficial to put it out at the curb we can collect it, it also prevents it from going to the landfill. Landfill diversion of recycling material is certainly a major component of why we're in the recycling business."
The Prince George fleet will consist of three trucks and one spare, said Walsh, adding that he was surprised by the city's late start.
"It's one of the last municipalities of significant size without a curbside collection program," he said.
Emterra runs curbside recycling program on Vancouver Island in the Capital Region district, Courtenay, and Comox as well as in Campbell River and Chilliwack. The company will also be handling the new service starting in Quesnel.
"We're looking forward to getting into Prince George and offering the service and certainly look forward to partnering with MMBC and the city of Prince George for many years to come," Walsh said.
