By J.W. Schnarr

Local Press Writer

Recycling is coming back to Claresholm, whether you want it or not. At least, for now.

After months of planning, town councillor Doug MacPherson and mayor Dave Moore unveiled details about the new town-run recycling program they hope will be in place by July 1.

Clear bag program

The recycling program, which will be mandatory, will cost between $6 and $7 per month and will be treated as a utility. That means residents will be seeing it added to their water and garbage bill. Business owners can expect to pay $27 per month, but will be unable to have their commercial cardboard picked up at this time due to workload issues.

Residents must purchase clear bags for the program, which are available in several stores around Claresholm. The bags can be filled with cardboard, tin cans, plastic, mixed paper, and newsprint/flyers.
The program will not include clear glass, which will go with regular garbage to the town landfill.

MacPherson said education will be a big element to the recycling, so residents can be made aware of what is and isn’t acceptable for recycling.

Curbside pickup

The clear bags will be picked up by the Claresholm Centre for Mental Health and Addictions community employment program at the front of residential sites every two weeks and every week from commercial sites in the alley.

A bag limit is not being planned at this time. Instead, the town has plans to open their recycling material storage building to anyone who has been stockpiling their recyclables to bring in.

Cardboard bundles will be accepted for recycling as well.

The material will be taken to a storage site until enough has been collected for Capital Paper in Calgary. Capital Paper will handle delivery to their site in Calgary for processing.

“The most economical way for us to do it right now is to pick it up and have the community employment (workers) sort it,” said Moore. He went on to say it was important for businesses and residents to get behind the program as an entire town in order to keep costs down. He compared it to paying for schools.

“I don’t have any kids in the school system but I still pay school fees,” he said. “You do it because at some point it’s going to pay off for the entire community.”

The recycling centre

Recycling materials will be sorted for recycling before pickup by Capital Paper can take place.

The town is currently looking for a place to store the recycling. In the short-term, it plans on renting the property but is looking at buying the property in the long term.

It will be using town-owned bins, cardboard baler, and other required equipment needed for the process.

They also have plans to hire one town employee for the job of overseeing the operation while contracting labour and volunteer groups to help supplement the sorting process.

The end of the line

Once enough cardboard has been sorted and baled, and the market for cardboard is such that it warrants expenditures, the town will pay for transporting the material to a mill. Other recyclables will be sold off by Capital Paper.

Sales from commodities will be re-invested in capital and sustainability initiatives.

The recycling program is being planned as a negative-cost operation, with the fees being used to cover all costs. Any commodity sales will be over and above operational costs, and will be used for vehicle and equipment repairs and upgrades.

Moore said the Town of Claresholm has been under a lot of pressure from residents since recycling ended March 15.

“There’s a huge demand for it,” said Moore. “People are definitely wanting to get it going again. People have been ingrained about recycling, and when it disappears they get upset about it.”
The project will be closely monitored over three months so issues can be identified and dealt with as they arise.
“This is a Claresholm solution,” said Moore.

In addition, it may in fact be a Stavely and Granum solution as well, as both towns are said to be interested in taking part in the program by bringing their recycling trailers to Claresholm for materials storage.

“Granum is very supportive of the program,” said Reit Kleissen, town manager in Granum. “But we haven’t had any formal talks just yet.”

Clayton Gillespie, Stavely town administrator, said Stavely was also supportive of the program, adding the bonus for taking recycling materials to Claresholm would save wear and tear on their town vehicles and save time for their workers.

Both Granum and Stavely are currently shipping their recycling to B.F.I. in Lethbridge.

The Municipal District of Willow Creek will not be taking part in the recycling program.

“Absolutely not,” said Moore. “They wanted to go off on their own thing, and that’s fine. We’re going our own way here.”