If you didn’t put out your recyclables this week, you’ll now have to wait until the week of Jan. 5-9 to do so as there will be no “blue box” pick-up between Dec. 22 and Jan. 4.
This is part of the holiday schedule for curbside pickup as the town prepares to switch to its revised garbage/recycling schedule, which comes into effect Jan. 5, said Operations and Facilities manager Doug Brown.
“It’s not about cost savings, it’s about fairness,” he remarked, noting that before last year, the town had carried on with its “blue box” pick-up during the holiday season, only taking days off for Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day.
But this meant some residents would get pickup while others would not.
“Basically, we’re doing what they did last year,” said Brown.
“We thought it’d be too confusing if we didn’t.
“And we can start the new schedule fresh on Jan. 5,” he added, noting residents should keep their recyclables on hand over the holiday break and not throw them away with their garbage.
Residents soon will find out when their “blue box” collection day is as the 2004 recycling/garbage collection schedules will be distributed by the Fort Frances Aquanauts during the Christmas break from school (prior to Jan. 5).
The new schedule—approved by council at its Dec. 8 meeting—will see “blue boxes” picked up using the same five-day cycle as the town’s garbage collection, but only on a bi-weekly basis.
Brown said while there has been some negative feedback over this change in schedule, he’s also heard positive comments.
“People now only have to remember one day a week. It’s a good thing,” he remarked, adding its not uncommon for communities the size of Fort Frances to see only bi-weekly recycling pickup.
Another part of this synchronizing of collection is that no recyclables will be picked up on statutory holidays (just like garbage is not now).
The reason for these operational revisions are twofold, said Brown.
First, homeowners are accustomed to the five-day cycle for garbage collection. Thus, it’s more convenient for homeowners to put recycling materials and waste out for collection on the same day, he noted.
As such, residents only will need to remember one day of the week where both services will be provided, which hopefully will boost participation, Brown added.
Secondly, the cost for labour and fuel will be cut roughly in half.
The estimated savings is about $25,000 per year—22 percent of the town’s annual recycling costs, Brown said.
Another change approved by council will see residents in apartment buildings (multi-residential properties) switch to an individual “blue box” system as opposed to using communal bins for recyclables.
This means residents of those buildings will have to get their own “blue boxes,” sort their own recyclables, and put out their “blue boxes” at the curb for pickup just like everyone else.
Brown said the reason for this was cross-contamination of two main recycling “streams”—paper products and plastics and metals.
Basically, people indiscriminately have been dumping all recyclables into the same bins, resulting in an unreasonably time-consuming chore for either the recycling truck driver and/or the Koochiching County recycling depot staff.
This latter change only will be for a three-month trial basis so the town can evaluate if it is feasible to maintain service to multi-residential complexes on an on-going basis.
Just as in the past year, acceptable recyclables will continue to include paper bags, newsprint, office paper, magazines in small quantities, corrugated cardboard (cut to 16” x 20” max.), #1 and 2 plastics, clean aluminum/steel beverage cans, and clean metal food cans (rinse, remove labels, and crush).
Glass recyclables still can be dropped off in the large blue bins by the Public Works building on Wright Avenue North.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
