Unacceptable items clog recycling program

Calgarians are throwing unacceptable syringe needles, saws and frying pans into their recycling, but they're still faring better than in most cities.

About 10 per cent of the material that lands in a southeast sorting facility needs to be disposed, officialssaid Monday in an update on the city's recycling program, which began in April.

However, Calgary's rate is still better than other cities, where the level of inappropriate recycling material can be up to 21 per cent.

Most of the plant, owned and operated by Metro Waste Paper Recovery Inc., is automated. But workers have to stop the conveyor belt of unsorted material six to 10 times an hour to remove unacceptable items, including containers of paint, propane and motor oil.

"Items such as coat hangers, scrap metal and propane tanks can potentially damage the equipment or injure one of our workers," said Bill Stitt, Metro's vice-president. "They're trying to do the right thing by including as much metal as possible, but this facility is not set up for that."

Stitt suggested that people take the larger metal itemsto scrap dealers rather than putting them into their blue bins.

The city has collected about 30,000 tonnes of recyclables since April, when curbside pickup of blue carts began rolling out to homes and complexes with fewer than four units. Community recycling depots were also converted so no sorting was required.

The volume of recyclables is on track to double that of the previous year, city officials said.

"It does help to keep materials out of the regular garbage, which does help to prolong the life of our landfills," said Paula Magdich from the city's wasteand recycling services office.

"It also helps to turn these materials into new products, so instead of becoming waste, they're actually made into new items, and that's good for the environment."

Some of the money made from the recyclable materials is funnelled back into running the program.

The city is aiming to divert 80 per cent of Calgary's waste from landfills by 2020.