Is there ever a perfect time to recycle? Maybe not, but how we handle our garbage is becoming more and more important as landfills expand.
Consumerism carries a heavy cost even with just the packaging that is discarded to landfills; left-over bits of chemicals gather in basements, garages and storage sheds.
Household Hazardous Waste day is coming up next weekend in Virden, on May 20. This is provincially funded and open to Manitobans. The recycling takes place at Virden’s Farmers’ Market shed on Sixth Avenue.
Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) is waste material that is generated within the home that poses a risk to health, safety or the environment and cannot be disposed of through the normal municipal waste collection system.
The program is run by the Millar Corporation and locally, it is manned by Virden Lions Club. It’s a perfect opportunity to clean up on May long weekend.
CAO of the RM of Wallace-Woodworth, Garth Mitchell noted that while Loraas Recycle is a good service, ratepayers were not taking full advantage of the recycling system which has become easier than ever, with no sorting of recyclables required.
CAO for Town of Virden Rhonda Stewart made the same comment after the Town’s 2017 budget presentation. Municipalities and towns pay a rate to Loraas whether their ratepayers take advantage of the system or not. However, putting garbage into landfills costs per load.
Doubly important is keeping hazardous waste such as batteries, paint and chemicals out of the landfill. Many of these items are serious polluters, if they are not recycled properly.
In an interview CAO Rhonda Stewart and Councillor Tina Williams explained the need for better recycling in Virden.
“The Town of Virden gets charged per pick-up,” stated Stewart. Councillor Williams added that recycling keeps garbage out of the landfill. “If you have one paper in your blue trolley, or if it’s full to the brim, we still pay the same amount.”
Disposing of garbage is a big expense, which falls on ratepayers; $280,000 is budgeted for a new garbage packer. The 2017 budget includes over a million dollars for environmental services. A portion of that is for garbage collection and recycling program support.
Williams says hopefully, “Eventually we’d like to be like the city – a blue bin, a black bin and a green bin,” meaning recycling, with composting and landfill garbage also separated.
It’s not in Virden, but in some cities, residents pay extra beyond a certain minimum amount (usually one bag per week per household) of landfill garbage.
Household Hazardous Waste includes:
· Paint
· Flammable Liquids
· Waste Gasoline
· Used Oil
· Antifreeze
· Pesticides
· Toxics
· Corrosives
· Aerosols
· Personal Care Products
· Medicine
· Propane Cylinders
· Batteries
· Fluorescent Lights
· Electronic Waste
