Starting May 1, the City of Greater Sudbury's blue box
program will accept more items.
Carrie-Anne Marassato, program co-ordinator for solid waste
management, says, "Now you can recycle low-density polyethylene
(LDPE) plastic such as grocery bags, bread bags, sandwich bags,
shrink wrap, vegetable bags and outer wrappings for toilet
paper and diapers."
Consumers can also recycle polystyrene (PS) plastic disposable
hot cups, packaging materials, foam egg cartons, Styrofoam
plates, take-out containers and meat trays.
LDPE can be recycled into new grocery bags while PS can be
recycled into plastic lumber, flower pots and cassette tape
boxes.
Marassato says there are no plans to reduce the garbage bag
limit to two bags from three bags.
"In 2001 Sudbury went to a four-garbage bag limit. In 2002
we went to a three-bag limit. At the end of 2002, we diverted
13,510 tonnes instead of the 11,890 tonnes for the year
before.," she said.
If consumers recycle to their potential, especially by
adding to these new blue box items, and if they do backyard
home composting, they cannot help but reduce garbage pick-up.
The blue box program was launched in 1991.
"Right now we are at about 34 percent diversion rate. That
means we are slightly ahead of other municipalities in the
north," said Marassato.
However, the waste management division has a diversion goal
of 65 percent.
"We know the Ontario government will mandate the higher
recycling rate. We do not know when it will be implemented, but
our waste management department would rather take action now,
moving toward that goal..."
A major future initiative is the collection of kitchen
wastes such as food scraps.
"We have approval from city council to investigate the
possibility of implementing a green bag or box program since
organic waste constitutes 33 percent of the waste stream. We
will do a pilot by the end of this year involving a sample of
residential homes..."
If the pilot program is considered successful, council will
be asked to approve city-wide collection of organics in 2008.
For more information, phone the city's waste management hotline at 673-BLUE.
