Citizens for a Livable Cranbrook Society provides grassroots leadership and an inclusive process, with a voice for all community members, to ensure that our community grows and develops in a way that incorporates an environmental ethic, offers a range of housing and transportation choices, encourages a vibrant and cultural life and supports sustainable, meaningful employment and business opportunities.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Motivating People to Recycle - The Port Moody Model

Here in Cranbrook, we have a very old fashioned garbage collection system. No Blue Boxes for recycling, no boxes for garbage and food waste, just garbage headed for the landfill. While it is fairly easy to take the recycling to the Transfer Station or to the recycling stations located around Cranbrook many people don't bother to recycle. Port Moody has moved beyond the blue box model and has decreased by 75% the amount of garbage going into the landfill. Port Moody provides their homeowners with 3 bins. One bin is for garbage, one bin is for kitchen and yard waste, and one bin is for recycling. You are given 120 litre bins and if you want a larger size you pay an extra $100. This system motivates people to recycle by providing a financial incentive to use the smaller bins. Isn't it time that the City of Cranbrook became more agressive with diverting garbage away from our landfill? What options would work here in Cranbrook?
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3 comments:

  1. SMWJuly 20, 2011 at 9:51 AM

    A city-wide education program to inform citizens about how they can reduce the amount of garbage going to the landfill is long overdue. Allowing a "five bag limit" is a sad reflection on our City's attitude towards how we dispose of our waste.

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  2. Rockies ManJuly 21, 2011 at 11:18 AM

    I agree with SMW. When I heard Council was coming out with a bag limit I thought that was a great idea - until I heard that it was for FIVE bags. That's a limit?! Five bags per household does not encourage people to recycle. For a city this size, we are quite behind the times.

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  3. AnonymousOctober 13, 2012 at 1:19 PM

    I am embarrassed to be moving to a City with such a joke of a waste collection System. A five bag limit only encourages people to toss all their recyclables into the trash. But ill say this letters to Mayor and Council are the only way to get things changed. Thats what i intended to do when i get to town.

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