Plastic Bags No Longer Accepted As Recycling Program Discussed

The list for what you can toss into the recycle bin just got smaller as Council learnt Loraas Disposal – the contractor for the recycling program – has informed the City they are no longer accepting plastic #1 clamshells, plastic bags and film.

And although nothing was said definite about it it is very likely the items will simply end up in the landfill.

The news was part of a discussion into the contract the City holds with Loraas.

Kicking off the discussion into the Loraas contract city manager Jim Puffalt said “recycling is in a bit of a flux with the plastic bags issue.”

In his report to Council director of engineering Josh Mickleborough said the City's contract with Loraas was a three year term signed October 1, 2015 with provisions for two extensions of two years each. At the present time city was in the first of the two extensions.

Mickleborough explained how although Loraas owned the bins at the end of the contract the City would assume ownership of the blue bins.

The contract with Loraas was not the highest in the province nor the lowest but in the middle, he said.

Recyclable pricing at the present time was not the best and “the commodity pricing worldwide is in a state of flux,” Mickleborough said.

To back out of the present contract would cost the City $655,000 or if the City chose to do so the buyout was $250,000 the end of September 2020.

Mickelborough said the City receives a grant from the Multi Material Recycling Western (MMRW) which partially offsets the recycling cost.

Presently the City collects solid waste and recycling from approximately 11,600 homes with each property paying $9.77 for solid waste and $7.09 for recycling collection.

In 2018 the grant from MMSW was $187,579 and is expected to increase in 2019 to $340,290 in 2019.

Mickelborough had a high degree of confidence the grant would be expanding and he asked it would “be considered by Council and the challenges faced by the solid waste utility” to spend the money there.

Speaking on the issue Councillor Brian Swanson asked where Loraas could unilaterally decide to no longer accept certain items?

“So they can just decide what to collect and not to collect,” Councillor Swanson stated.

Plastic Bags Are Now No Longer Accepted For Recycling

Mickleborough said he did not know off of the top of his head what clause allowed Loraas to no longer accept certain items but it was in the contract.

Councillor Swanson wondered why Council was receiving a report for a contract renewal at the present time.

“I don’t know why we have this report as we are already in the contract extension…why is this report here?”

Mickleborough then admitted the contract had been mistakenly extended without Council's decision due to staff turnovers and other happenings in the Engineering Department.

“It was an oversight to be quite honest with you…the contract was implicitly extended.”

Despite extending the contract without Council approval it was the best deal, he said.

“Given the market situation and buyout of the bins it would have been messy in an economic perspective,” Mickleborough said about not taking the two year optional renewal.

Councillor Swanson then questioned the economics of the recycling program.

Loraas charges $5.28 monthly per bin and the City adds $1.71 meaning 32 percent in administrative overhead.

“The per unit cost is four times the cost of solid waste collection…given our location the landfill is the most environmental and economic way to dispose of (solid) waste.”

Regarding the MMSW grant in 2018 of $187,000 Councillor Swanson said “if applied to recycling costs the per month fee would be considerably less.”

Asked if the $342,000 collected through the MMSW grant in 2019 was applied to the 2019 budget Mickleborough said it was.

“The money collected here all goes to the solid waste utility…all going to closure costs and or a new landfill.”

Loose Plastic Trash Caught In Landfill's Fence - MJ Independent File Photo

Councillor Swanson replied it was “not a financially responsible thing to be doing…what it is asking us to do is not really acceptable to me.”

Near the end of the discussion Councillor Hearther Eby said “I hope the (MMSW) grant was going to reduce the costs (of recycling) to the citizens of Moose Jaw.”

Councillor Dawn Luhning asked where the plastic bags would be going?

“From a solid waste utility perspective they present challenge (due to blowing around)…the overall impact of taking on those products is minimal,” Mickleborough replied.

“I don’t want to put words in your mouth Mr Mickleborough but are you saying it is OK to put plastics in the landfill?” Councillor Luhning asked.

Mickleborough replied the bags could be stockpiled or put in the landfill.

“In the intervening period they are accepted as waste in our landfill,” he said.

Talk then turned to a Solid Waste Master Plan which is under development.

Mickleborough stated the matter plan could be designed to deal with changes.

“…dealing with plastic and market fluctuations is something you can have in that master plan.”

Councillor Swanson stated recycling was not financially sustainable and “they are having trouble taking in the stuff they do take in.”

“The reality is the Third World countries of the world are no longer accepting the Western World’s trash.”

He later added in the discussion “we should as a continent be ashamed we are willing to dispose of our waste that way.”

Councillor Swanson then brought out fear when it came to a rumoured impending composting program.

“Those watching the last ten minutes brace…for what is coming.”

Puffalt said the entire issue could be deferred until later and nothing needed to be passed.

Regarding the fears Councillor Swanson expressed about the cost of an upcoming composting program Puffalt said he had not seen the details but in other municipalities ‘it is a voluntary one not a mandatory one.”

Council decided to in Councillor Eby's words “carry on the contract that was extended without approval.”

Puffalt said he would speak to director of engineering Mickleborough to see what happened in the contract being extended.

Council has until April 2020 to decide whether or not to approve the final two year extension with Loraas.