The new recycling truck added to the Northwestern Ontario Recycling Association’s fleet for Fort Frances back in May is out of commission after catching fire Saturday.
“The truck was going very well until Saturday, when it started on fire,” noted Cindy Buttner, owner of Buttner Enterprises which picks up the curbside Blue Boxes for NORA.
Fortunately, the Blue Box pick-ups are still on schedule because there’s now an extra truck that can be brought out for just such occasions.
“We’re looking probably at a couple of weeks but we have a spare truck so we’re able to do that now,” said Buttner.
“We have the spare one out now,” she added.
The fire may have been caused by a short in the truck’s wiring but the extent of the damage hasn’t been determined yet. The truck likely will be shipped to Winnipeg for repairs after NORA co-ordinator Keith Svenson returns from holidays.
Meanwhile, NORA still is struggling to keep up with a too-small provincial budget while waiting for the province to pass the Waste Diversion Ontario Act and provide more funding.
“We’re trying to speed up the process so we get funding now or we’ll face problems,” warned NORA chair Dennis Brown.
Funding hasn’t been helped by the fact the price of the commodities continue to fall. “Prices have gone way down,” Brown noted.
The NORA board currently is working on plans to reduce the amount of garbage left at recycling drop-off sites.
“One problem we have is with the recycling depots. They’re not manned so people are bringing garbage and everything, and people have to spend time sorting those out,” Brown said.
(Fort Frances Times)
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
