Within the first three days of recycling services returning to the Vanway Regional Transfer Station, enough material had been collected to fill 27 mega bags, the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George’s board of directors heard at its Thursday, July 17 meeting.
At the end of May 2024, the regional district’s contract for recycling services with Cascades Recovery ended, meaning that residents could no longer drop their recyclables off at transfer stations or the Foothills Boulevard Regional Landfill.
Last fall, the district and Recycle BC entered into an agreement to return recycling services to the Quinn Street Regional Recycling Depot in Prince George as well as transfer stations in Mackenzie and Valemount.
At the beginning of July this year, a principal recycling depot was installed at the Vanway transfer station and a satellite depot was put at a transfer station in McBride.
“I think they’ve done two loadouts already of that site,” said Laura Zapotichny, the regional district’s general manager of environmental services.
“McBride also is ready for a pickup. It’s pretty incredible in these locations that people have come back. They’ve embraced it. We’re really excited, we will be bringing a report forward this fall with some of those first-year number. There is revenue that is being generated and there are significant diversion numbers.”
Director Dannielle Alan (Robson Valley-Canoe) said residents from Dome Creek to Dunster have been eagerly anticipating the return of recycling services and she thanked them for their patience and advocacy in re-establishing them.
Also at the meeting, the board voted to award a contract for fibre recycling bin hauling services at rural transfer station in the regional district to Environmental 360 Solutions Central Interior Ltd. at an estimated cost of $15,327 a month before tax.
This contract will service cardboard and mixed paper bins to the transfer stations at Cummings Road, Dunster, West Lake, Hixon, Chief Lake, Willow River, Shelley, Berman Lake and Buckhorn as well as cardboard compactor bins in Mackenzie, Valemount and McBride.
The Foothills Boulevard Regional Landfill, located at 6595 Foothills Blvd. N., is open Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Weekend hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.
In McBride, the Regional Transfer Station at 500 Northeast Frontage Rd. operates Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. It is closed on Wednesdays. Weekend hours are shorter, with the facility open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Vanway Regional Transfer Station, located at 6556 Broddy Rd., maintains daily hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Residents should check with each facility for accepted materials and any holiday closures.
