A Toronto Star article this week cited the recent closures of several major recyclers as an issue facing Greater Toronto Area (GTA) municipalities.
Manager Rick Clow said Quinte Waste Solutions has been affected by the closure of the Canadian Polystyrene Recycling Association in Mississauga, as it was the only Canadian recycler of polystyrene.
However those materials represent a relatively small portion of the items collected locally, Clow said.
"Currently we're stockpiling, but it's not a large amount," Clow said. QWS is looking for a solution along with the Canadian Plastics Industry Association.
Clow said Unical Glass, which closed a new Brampton facility, dealt primarily with mixed broken glass from recycling systems in the GTA. QWS currently separates coloured glass from clear and sends it to a company called NexCycle in Guelph. QWS has also done business in the past with both Atlantic Packaging, which closed a Whitby facility, and Abitibi-Bowater, which has also made cuts to its operations.
"For some time now we've been sending our material to other mills," Clow said. He pointed out that there are three paper processing facilities in the local area – Strathcona Paper in Napanee, and Norampac and Sonoco in Trenton. "We should all be supportive of our local processors," Clow said.
He said if a situation arose where a plan to offer aid to Atlantic was proposed, it should also be offered to all Ontario processors. Clow said he has no immediate concerns about the recycling industry or the ability to find a market for recovered material. He said the problems with CPRA and Unical were, to the best of his knowledge, not related to the market, although Atlantic has cited high costs as the cause of its closure. "All our material is finding a home," Clow said. "We're certainly happy for that."
On average QWS collects 215 kg of recyclable material per household annually. Clow said the weight of material collected is staying about the same, which he attributes to both the current economy and the fact that manufacturers are looking to reduce the overall weight of their products.
This means that while more material might be collected the weight might not increase accordingly.
QWS is responsible for waste reduction in Belleville, Quinte West, Tyendinaga, Prince Edward County, Centre Hastings, Stirling-Rawdon,Tweed, Madoc Township and Marmora & Lake.
It is administered by the Centre & South Hastings Waste Services Board, made up of members from each of the municipalities. Along with blue box programs, Quinte Waste Solutions operates programs to handle hazardous waste and to divert organic materials, including food scraps, leaves and brush from landfill.
http://www.communitypress-online.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=2551332
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