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Recycling program headed for more efficiency
By Stephen Dafoe (sdafoe@bowesnet.com)
Monday March 13, 2006
Hinton Parklander — In an effort to reduce the illegal dumping of garbage into recycling bins, Hinton will soon move to a single manned drop-off site for all recyclables.
“We’re still getting a lot of hazardous material in the recycle bin, which creates a lot more work for everybody,” said Dale Woloszyn, Hinton’s public works, planning and project manager during the Hinton Environmental Association’s (HEA) annual general meeting.
In order to rectify the situation, the plan is to create a manned recycling station in the area of the present Rowan Street drop-off.
Woloszyn said that the manned drop-off facility, which would be operational by July 1, would be open seven days a week in the summer and six days a week in the winter.
“This area is going to be fenced –there’s going to be surveillance cameras put up — so if people are going to be doing illegal dumping, that problem will be shown up, hopefully, on live camera.”
The upgrades to the Rowan Street facility are estimated to cost $120,000.
Once the new facility opens, Woloszyn said that the rec centre and Jeles Convenience Store drop-off sites, as well as the bins at the local schools, would be closed.
While aware that there will be some complaints about the closure, Woloszyn said he believed the single site would benefit the town. In addition to eliminating the problem of illegal garbage dumping, Woloszyn said he believed that the new single location would improve Hinton’s litter problem.
“By closing these other sites down it prevents the blowing of debris every time we flip the bins up in the air,” he said, adding that the fenced area should eliminate the problem. The present centre will be staying put for now as possible locations for a permanent facility are not available in the short term.
“The only feasible sites for this site are the Eco-Industrial Park and the public works facility that’s down on Kelley Road,” Woloszyn said.
“They’re not available in the short term so for a temporary solution we’re going to keep the recycling centre in its current facility.”
While a lack of a suitable home for the centre may have been bad news to some, the association did get some good news in the form of a new bailer and forklift for the current facility.
A horizontal baler and conveyor system has been installed, which will allow the program to generate 700-kilogram bales. A forklift has also been purchased to allow the bales to be moved around.
The cost of the baler, forklift and sump installation for the conveyor was estimated at $135,000.
The HEA believes that the new equipment is money well spent. Gloria Callihoo, president of the HEA, said that with the addition of the bailer, the program would receive more revenue, since the rate is higher for baled material as opposed to loose materials. Because the majority of recycling will now be bailed, the firm that takes away the materials is now offering free transport, which the HEA estimates will save the program $6,000 per year.
[Resource] http://www.hintonparklander.com/story.php?id=218193