Improper Recycling Costing County

Wednesday, 12 November 2014 15:41

Proper Separation of Recyclables for Oxford County (photo from County of Oxford website)

The County of Oxford is taking a strict approach to recycling guidelines. The City of Woodstock is not included in the County recycling program.

OXFORD COUNTY - The County of Oxford is taking a stricter approach to recycling practices ahead of the tender process for the next curb collection contract. Waste Management Coordinator for Woodstock, Pam Antonio, said improper recycling practices have been creating problems for the recycling companies currently in charge of processing and collection.

Antonio says it’s important to stress that the current recycling guidelines are NOT new. "The County has never recycled plastic bags as part of the blue box program nor have we allowed for recyclables to be put out in bags for collection."

Antonio adds while enforcing the guidelines may cause some growing pains in the townships that are affected (South-West Oxford,Tillsonburg, Blandford-Blenheim, Ingersoll, Zorra, East-Zorra Tavistock and Norwich) it is necessary to streamline the recycling process so there is a smooth transition to the next company handling curb collection and processing. The County is looking into prices for alternative services including weekly collection and 1 stream cycling (rather than the 2 stream process which requires residents to separate recycling into fibres and containers). A list of bids from companies seeking the collection and processing tenders will be presented to County Council on February 11th.

There are a number of issues with the way some residents are recycling which Antonio says is time consuming and increasing costs. At issue is the use of plastic bags for recyclables which increase processing costs. The bags cannot be recycled and end up as waste and require taking apart and sorting of the materials. Another reoccurring problem is food contaminants mixed in with recycling. An example is containers not being rinsed. This makes it difficult for workers to separate and quite often the contaminated recyclables end up as waste. In some cases the recyclables require multiple processing which increases costs.

Residents concerned about recyclables blowing out of the boxes or wet weather can purchase a lid for the blue boxes from the County at a cost of $1.50, additional blue boxes can be purchased from the County for $4.50 for a small blue box and $5.50 for a large blue box. Antonio adds that compacting cardboard boxes, such as those used for cereal can make more room in your blue boxes. Other boxes can be used for recycling but must be clearly marked as such.

Townships included in the County Recycling Guidelines