It has taken seven years to become a reality, with access agreements, angry neighbourhoods, a pilot project and millions of dollars invested – but residents of Canmore finally have community-wide recycling at their fingertips.
The municipality completed installing a total of 82 neighbourhood recycling bins throughout Canmore, forming part of the bear proof solid waste system in the community.
“The community has been asking for more convenient recycling options for some time. It is exciting to finally deliver this worthy service to the residents of Canmore,” said manager of public works Andreas Comeau. “Because residents can recycle at the same time they take out their garbage, we are removing some of the barriers that have prevented people from recycling in the past.”
And just in time for Christmas too – with all wrapping paper, cardboard, tape and bows acceptable in the mixed paper compartment of the bins. The other two compartments are for glass, and plastic and metal.
“As you know, we cannot do traditional curbside recycling like other cities because of wildlife, so this is a great way to balance out the needs of wildlife in the area and the needs of residents,” said Town of Canmore spokesperson Elizabeth Allen. “It means that residents have easy access to recycling 24/7 and they no longer need a vehicle to transport their recyclables.”
The time it took to develop the recycling program was a result of issues with locating an expanded material recycling facility to process the expected increased amounts of product. Originally proposed for the Boulder Crescent depot, along with a waste transfer station, there was significant opposition by residents in the area. Developments like Grotto and Eagle View were approved adjacent to the industrial area and recycling depot, despite a conflict in land uses.
When the expansion was proposed, residents pushed for the transfer station and recycling facility to be relocated away from those neighbourhoods, prompting the Town to enter into an access agreement with a private landowner to use the wastewater treatment plant site instead.
The $6 million project at the plant, which is considered a Bow Valley Waste Management Commission-related project, is expected to be complete in February.
With the blue bins rolled out, the Boulder Crescent recycling depot has reduced its hours from being open 24/7 to being accessible from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
