Education, enforcement needed for recycling
Thank you to David Barnes of Shawnigan Lake for his excellent letter regarding the challenge of recycling paper, plastics, glass and other materials in the Cowichan Valley. In his letter to the editor, he outlined some of the very real challenges of effectively recycling the wide variety of materials that both the provincial and municipal governments encourage us as consumers to not throw out in our trash.
New programs such as recycling potato chip bags are commendable, but require a great deal more public education and a very clear implementation schedule in order to be successful. However, before introducing new initiatives, we need to ensure that existing measures are being followed effectively so as to minimize contamination of the recycling stream. China’s recent decision to not accept recycled materials with a contamination rate of more than 0.5 per cent is an example of why it is so important to educate the public on best practices.
A recent casual survey on my neighbourhood in North Cowichan shows that many people continue to place materials that are not permitted in their blue boxes. I have seen plastic bags, glass and other materials placed in curbside bins and these materials are always picked up by the overworked waste management employees who are responsible for collecting recycled materials. This creates contamination in the recycling stream and can result in the materials ending up in a landfill rather than being recycled as they should be.
In order to minimize contamination, I suggest that an education programme is needed for the general public. I envision such a programme to include the hiring of student ambassadors to tour neighbourhoods on recycling days and for these ambassadors to leave stickers on peoples bins that do not meet the standard for recycling. Further, an information leaflet could be left with the various homeowners reminding them of acceptable practices where recycling is concerned. The hiring of high school or university students would help to keep the cost of such a programme to a minimum and would also build community support for enhancing our valuable recycling programs in the Cowichan Valley.
In my experience, most recycling initiatives are taught through the school system, but with a very high proportion of our citizens being seniors, they do not have ready access to the latest information on recycling. After all, how many people know about North Cowichan’s “MNC Curbside” garbage and recycling app which clearly outlines what is acceptable both at our curb and at the various valley recycling depots?
Ian Lusk
North Cowichan