New Recycling Programs Postponed

Northumberland County has advised that “Due to unforeseen circumstances, the collection contractor will not be able to offer the new programs starting in September as originally planned.”  This is especially important for the green bins – do not use the new green bin for food waste until December 2nd, 2019.  Instead you can continue to use a maximum of three garbage (black) bags instead of the new 2 bag limit.  However, you should use the new Blue and Grey boxes although their contents will initially go into the trucks together.  Meanwhile, using the boxes means fewer plastic bags in the waste system. Delivery of bins and boxes continues: All Green Bins are anticipated to be delivered by the end of August, with Blue and Grey Box delivery to be completed by the end of October.

Recycling Bin and Boxes
Recycling Bin and Boxes

County Warden John Logel states: “The delay in the launch of these new waste diversion programs is unfortunate. We appreciate the public’s patience as we work closely with our contractor partners to ensure residents are able to take full advantage of these programs before the end of 2019. The County continues to look forward to the positive environmental benefits that the Green Bin and Recycle Right programs will generate once in place this December.”

Although there will initially mixing of Blue and Grey box contents, the County says that “the contractor will be moving to vehicles that sort recyclable material into dual streams by the fall of 2020, which will result in even further diversion benefits for the community.”

The announcement from the County also said:

The new Green Bin and Recycle Right [2 bins instead of bags] collection programs are cornerstones of the County’s Long-term Waste Management Master Plan. The overall goal of this plan is to divert more than 75% of the waste generated by residents from landfill.

It is estimated that, annually, the new Green Bin collection program will result in the diversion of over 2,000 tonnes of food waste from the landfill, with the new Recycle Right program achieving an additional 1,000 tonnes of diversion.

The County’s Waste Calendar and their web site have information on the new program but the postponement is not yet mentioned.  Their waste info phone number should help if you have any questions:  1-866-293-8379.   But you might want to wait until at least Monday 19th August.

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Cindy Halmarson
4 years ago

Condo and apartment dwellers: As a dweller in a multi-unit property, I can get no information from the county about how we are to recycle. One set of bins was delivered to our address (for 12 units!). If we are to use bins, how should we line them up on the curb? And no green bin was delivered.

Elaine
4 years ago

Compostable bags for the green bins? C’mon! I have been composting for years and have yet to use a compostable bag! Rubbish! Just put the food scraps in the bin people.

Merle
4 years ago

Let’s give it a try, it gives us a year to get use to the new system.

Miriam Mutton
Reply to  Merle
4 years ago

And it gives me more time to figure out a way to haul the blue and grey boxes down and back a gravel driveway several hundred feet long. A four wheeled cart, something like a little red wagon, may be helpful. I saw a similar idea but with large wheels, a green pull cart, at the Grafton Farm Co-op. Other ideas welcome.

Ken Strauss
Reply to  Miriam Mutton
4 years ago

Not cheap and I haven’t verified that two containers will fit but something like: https://www.amazon.ca/Sandusky-GC5332-Galvanized-21-25-Inch-31-50-Inch/dp/B00J58VV4C ? Amazon has several larger and more expensive ones. Selling the perfect cart might be a business opportunity.

Recycler and Life-time Composter
Reply to  Miriam Mutton
4 years ago

Miriam – I do use a “little red wagon” to take my garbage out. Cdn Tire and Home Hardware both sell a nifty collapsible “garden” wagon (I also own one of those!!) that can be pricey but periodically they go on sale. They are very sturdy and the fact that they collapse means they are easily stored between use which is handy if storage space is limited- which is increasingly becoming with all these bins!). I’m sure they are large enough to store both bins, and possibly the compost bin if you are a cleaver packer( like I am!)

Tracy berry
Reply to  Recycler and Life-time Composter
4 years ago

How does/will that work in the ice and snow?

Frenchy
Reply to  Tracy berry
4 years ago

Wear winter boots when you take out the trash?
Shovel your driveway first, you’ve got to do it anyway.
Don’t look for a way to not do it.

manfred s
Reply to  Miriam Mutton
4 years ago

toboggan for 3-4 months?

Old Sailor
Reply to  Miriam Mutton
4 years ago

Miriam

The three black pull carts beside the Marina building entrance are solid, easy to pull and won’t rust. Many marina’s provide them for boaters. For when they return from stores like the Cobourg LCBO on Albert St.

Miriam Mutton
Reply to  Miriam Mutton
4 years ago

Thanks all for the suggestions. You have given me a number of ideas to follow up.

Nellie Morgan
Reply to  Miriam Mutton
4 years ago

Bought 64 gal Blue IPL Cart Bac w/ 2 large Wheels, with lid, from Home Hardware. Able to pull or push on long driveway when I lived north. Able to put 2 boxes plus garbage on top. I use it now to store my garbage in my shed.

cornbread
4 years ago

With all the additional work being done by residents to sort out garbage you think that the powers-to-be would have ended the $2.75 tag fee for wet garbage….instead you will be allowed 2 bags for $2.75 versus the current 3 bag rule…ie: a 50% increase in price…plus the higher cost for compostable bags.
Brilliant or What?

Ken Strauss
Reply to  cornbread
4 years ago

Perhaps I misunderstand but where is the 50% price increase? It was $2.75/bag (3 bag limit) and will be $2.75/bag (2 bag limit). The bag limit may be an issue for large families or those who are disposing of lots of garbage but the per bag price is unchanged.

cornbread
Reply to  Ken Strauss
4 years ago

Sorry for the error…my wife informs me it is $2.75 per 44lb bag, not for 3 such bags…Thanks Ken. I guess you can see that I don’t do the garbage

Sue Stephenson
4 years ago

What a disappointment! I really mean that. This was a major step forward. I just bought the compostable bags for the green bin. No big deal there but what happened with the contractor at this date in August for a September start?

Are they saying we should separate items into blue and gray bins when they will be thrown in the trucks together? Why would we do that? How will this news be shared with all residents?

Recycler and Life-time Composter
4 years ago

Disappointing. I had already started collecting my compost. And how will the new Provincial system, currently under “development”, impact our new system. Is it too much to ask that the two are compatible and we won’t be faced with yet another system when the Provincial system is finalized?

Ken Strauss
4 years ago

However, you should use the new Blue and Grey boxes although their contents will initially go into the trucks together. …there will initially mixing of Blue and Grey box contents, the County says that “the contractor will be moving to vehicles that sort recyclable material into dual streams by the fall of 2020.

So everyone should sort their waste for a year only to have it mixed back together en route to landfill? Very impressive!

cornbread
Reply to  Ken Strauss
4 years ago

Was there a “Kickback” somewhere on the cost of the plastic containers? You have to wonder on the brilliance of some of the people who run things. Just like the original overhead CCC rink lights that were changed out recently at a cost of perhaps $100,000 but no one at city hall will say how much..

Frenchy
Reply to  cornbread
4 years ago

Huh?
Who is Lakefront Lighting? What do they have to do with the CCC?

Ken Strauss
Reply to  Frenchy
4 years ago

Lakefront Lighting was a LUI subsidiary established to sell street lighting from Luxlite. I’m unsure of the relationship between them and the CCC.

Our former Mayor lauded a Chinese firm that promised to create hundreds of R&D jobs in Cobourg if the town would purchase their innovative lighting system. Predictably the town swallowed the promises, the Chinese firm was sued for patent infringement by Osram-Sylvania, the firm and Cobourg (co-defendant) lost, the jobs never came and… Insofar as I know the whole story has never been told in public but http://www.lightnowblog.com/2012/09/osram-sylvania-settles-canadian-patent-infringement-lawsuit/ gives some clues.

You can hear from Mr. Rinaldi (complicit in the fiasco to the tune of $500K on behalf of the Province) at https://web.archive.org/web/20150205222530/http://www.luxlite.com/. The press release from Mr. Delanty is available under “Media and News” on the same site.

Frenchy
Reply to  Ken Strauss
4 years ago

Ouch.