Hey! Where’re you taking our Blue Bins, pal?
Posted by editor on September 24, 2009 · 4 Comments
A trucker tightens the straps securing the old blue bins he was carting away from the CSRD's recycling area on Vernon late Thursday morning. The six bins have been replaced by a new, single, co-mingled green bin. David F. Rooney photo
By David F. Rooney
Avid recyclers who went to the recycling area by the Forum late Thursday morning received a small shock when they saw a trucker carting away the six familiar blue bins, leaving behind a single green one.
“The new green bin holds over 30 yards of material,” says Darcy Mooney, manager of the Columbia Shuswap Regional District’s Recycling Program. “The total capacity of the old blue bins was 24 yards. We will be servicing the bin to ensure that there is capacity. If we need to add a second bin we are prepared to do so.”
The new single bins will now take everything together — paper, glass and metal cans. There is no need to separate them into different bins. The CSRD will also now take #1, #2, #4 and #5 consumer plastics, as well.
As if that wasn’t enough to give a recyclers heart palpitations, the Revelstoke Bottle Depot will soon begin accepting dead electronics such as TVs, computers and monitors
“Sharon (his wife) and I will be taking a course on what to do with end-of-life electronics,” the depot’s Lawrence Davis said Thursday. “The course will teach us everything we need to know about what we can handle, how we handle it and where we ship it.”
The Revelstoke Bottle Depot will begin accepting dead electronics for free sometime in October, Davis said.
“Nothing will leave the premises except on one of our trucks,” he said.
There is a god.
His name is Darcy Mooney and he is the director of the CSRD Solid Waste Department in Salmon Arm.
The’d better hurry up and get us another bin. Driving around with a van full of recyclables for a week because the bin is full is not something I enjoy! And I’m too vertically challenged to throw my bags of recycling material on top of the bin! Not that I’d do that anyway.
Advice to users of the new recycle bin……..
1. Take a small step ladder if you are not over six feet in height.
2. Don’t try to drop your material on a Sunday – the bin is already overflowing!!
3. Allow extra time for loading your paper one handful at a time from your bin on the ground into the above head high slot above. Use your” big hand” for this and don’t drop any of it. If there is a slight breeze your small items of mixed paper – especially the shredded types – will be blown back at you – allow an extra 5 minutes for chasing and picking up all these pieces which will now be strewn over a 10 foot radius!!!
4. Be prepared to load your glass items one at a time and pray they don’t drop and shatter at your feet.
5. Take a valium before you go since recycling Revelstoke style is now a very frustrating experience – almost cancelling out those warm fuzzies which came from doing your bit to save the planet!!!