Next phase of Recycle Right begins Nov. 30

By Cecilia Nasmith

Phase 2 of Northumberland County's Recycle Right program officially kicks off Nov. 30, following the launch of Phase 1 last December.

As of that date, recycling should no longer be mixed or in bags (with the exception of shredded paper and soft plastic wrapping such as grocery bags). These materials should be in clear or clear-blue bags.

“Over the last year, our community has made great strides in shifting to a two-stream recycling system, where paper products are placed into a grey box and containers are placed into a blue box,” Director of Transportation, Waste and Facilities Mo Pannu stated in the press release.

“The launch of Phase 2 coincides with the introduction of new waste-collection vehicles that will keep recycling materials separated in different compartments. This transition will further reduce contamination of recyclable materials from 25% to less than 10%, increasing capture of high-quality, valuable material that can be sold for re-use.

“This program will be a significant driver in achieving the community's overall goal of 75% diversion of waste from the landfill.”

The Recycle Right program is a cornerstone of the Long-term Waste Management Master Plan the county adopted in 2014. Recommendations from this plan that have been implemented to date include:

· Roadside collection of leaf and yard waste (2015)

· Bulky plastics diversion (2016)

· Clothing diversion (2017)

· Styrofoam diversion (April 2019)

· Year-round household hazardous waste diversion (April 2019)

· Year-round electronic waste diversion (April 2019)

· Green Bin (food waste) diversion (December 2019)

· Recycle Right (Blue & Grey Box) program (December 2019)

Of these, the Recycle Right program (along with the Green Bin program launched last year) will achieve the greatest overall impact, diverting an additional 3,000 tonnes of waste annually - or approximately 500 garbage trucks worth of materials.

Warden Bob Sanderson stated in the announcement that the goal of 75% waste diversion is shared by the community, citing some recycling champions he wanted to commend.

“Champions like Robyn from Port Hope, who keeps the ‘What Goes Where’ brochures in her kitchen so the family can easily see what is and isn’t recyclable,” Sanderson said.

“Or Martha from Colborne, who keeps small containers in the kitchen for recyclables, and then empties these into the larger blue and grey boxes in the garage as needed.

“Each individual effort makes a tremendous difference in edging us toward this vital target. I am confident that, with the support of our residents and businesses, we will hit the mark, and create a more sustainable future for our community.”

For more information about the Recycle Right program, including details about which products go in which box, visit our website at Northumberland.ca/ Recycling.