Recycling that cardboard box, plastic bottle or old computer means more than being responsible earth dwellers and environmental stewards in training - it also means jobs, economic sense and a step in the right direction towards well being.
Last Saturday at the Seaside Centre, Dion Whyte, Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) manager of sustainable services, hosted a community educational workshop on the various types and levels of recycling. It's information that will be helpful to the public as they think about what is important to them when it comes to recycling and in turn share that information with the SCRD.
Whyte told the small audience, primarily attended by SCRD staff, two SCRD board members, individuals interested in being on the advisory committee and a few members of the wider public, the focus of the three-hour session. "The purpose is to provide a solid understanding of options, issues and best practices," said Whyte. He said the presentation by Karen Asp and Sarah Wilmont, members of Gartner Lee Ltd., the consulting firm engaged by the SCRD to do the recycling service review, was to give a broad overview of the many intricacies of recycling. He said the presentation would talk about the economic, social and economic aspects of recycling, the different systems of recycling, new legislative policies and trends and the education, outreach and social marketing about recycling.
Whyte said the session wasn't a "public forum on the existing system or on future systems. The focus today is on context." He told the audience there would be a number of opportunities for the community to be a part of the recycling review dialogue through two open houses to be held in Sechelt and Gibsons. Whyte said there will be one day and one evening session at each location, adding other ways people can get involved and provide commentary are through the SCRD website or through participation with the steering committee.
Karen Asp started the morning with some generalities on recycling. She said recycling is about integrating the different components of environmental, sustainability, economic and development concerns. Asp said if we look at an inverted pyramid, the pollutions hierarchy and how to work towards solutions to consumption and waste starts from reduce (as the largest platform), reuse, recycle, recover and residuals (smallest platform).
Asp said essentially recycling is about reclaiming used products and reprocessing them into raw materials or "secondary resources" so they can be turned around and remanufactured into new products. Asp said it's a way of saving "virgin or primary," resources and by doing so, using less natural resources.
Sarah Wilmont explained how recycling makes an environmental difference and a significant economic difference. There is also significant social benefits such as a sense of responsibility, pride and community identity involved in "doing the right thing," by recycling said Wilmont.
Most municipal recycling programs need a technical system and an institutional framework that will vary from community to community dependant on the types of materials collected and scope of the system being put in place, said Wilmont.
Wilmont gave a comprehensive overview of a "goods" collection system. She said recyclables can be collected at depots and curbside collection programs and sometimes a combination of the two. Wilmont said the most effective collection programs tend to be convenient for the systems operator and for residents and it needs to be integrated with existing waste management systems to work.
To see the full slides of the educational session go to the SCRD website at www.scrd.ca. You can also email comments, suggestions and insights on recycling to, [email protected].
