Flin Flon residents may soon not be able to set out their recyclables for pickup.
Deb Odegaard, administrator for the Flin Flon Recycling Centre, said unless more people start setting out the red bags that indicate pickup, the program will have to end.
“A lot of people just got in the habit of dropping it off either here at the recycling center or in the trailer in the empty parking lot by Canadian Tire,” she said.
“We've seen the usage steadily drop, so that this year, we're not covering our costs with the number of people using the red bag program.”
Flin Flon has had curbside recycling pickup since 2003. The change will not impact Creighton or Denare Beach, who have recycling pickups handled by the city.
“Recycling has really become part of waste management,” Odegaard said.
“In 2008 when the markets crashed, there were places that just said ‘We're not recycling any more,’ but that's not an option anymore because the systems are set up in terms of subsidies that come back to municipalities and to recyclers for doing the work... The system is just sort of clogged up, but it's not being shut down.”
The red bag program is a way for residents to designate recycling for pickup. Purchasing a red bag from various businesses around the community for $3.50 helps the recycling centre cover the costs of curbside pickup and allows recycling personnel to quickly identify if people have paid.
Odegaard said that the biggest issue facing curbside pickup is costs. With processing prices rising around the world, Flin Flon has been caught in the rising tide.
“[The recycling system] is sort of in a chaotic state since China closed its doors at the end of 2017,” she said.
“The prices for materials has gone down quite a bit... we have to pay $10 a ton to get rid of it. That's just how bad the markets have gone.”
Odegaard said the centre would need to pick up at least 16 bags per week to cover their costs. The recycling centre gathers what they pick up and sends it to Winnipeg for sorting. The cost of sorting for Flin Flon has risen from $45 per tonne to $110 per tonne.
“People don't have to use it every week,” she said.
“If they don't have enough stuff to put out every week, they don't have to use it every week. That means we need to have probably between 20 and 30 households that are using it to see it continue.”
It’s a change that Odegaard is worried could affect the more vulnerable in the community.
“I think my one concern for red bags is for people who do not have vehicles,” she said.
“I suppose if they get a ride to Walmart, they can just take their bag over to the trailer there, but we do pickup from seniors in quite a few places. People in Creighton and Denare Beach love their curbside pickup. I think a big part of the problem in Flin Flon is people see the $3.50 and say ‘Why would I pay when I can bring it [to the recycling centre]?’”
Red bags are still for sale at various locations around the community for $3.50, including the Recycling Centre. The red bag program will run until at least Jan. 1, 2020.
