Not happy with recycling

Photo: Contributed

Scott Anderson is going to ask the City of Vernon to urge the regional district to review the new recycling system.

The Vernon city councillor will bring the matter up at the next council meeting, but said Monday he is not a fan of the blue boxes.

Anderson said “no one” likes the current recycling system and “there tends to be an awful lot of recycling material on the road when those guys go by.”

But, Anderson was quick to point out it is not the fault of those collecting the recycling, but the method in which the recycling is stored for pick up – in open blue boxes.

The regional district switched from having people put all their recyclables into clear bags to be sorted at a depot, in favour of the current system where paper and cardboard go in one box and items like plastics go in another.

When fully laden, the boxes can get heavy and Anderson said “some seniors have a hard time moving them around.

“I want to see the bags brought back. I think a number of people would. It's much more efficient and user friendly.”

Mayor Akbal Mund said “it is a system that was chosen and we live with it. People have to adapt to change.”

Mund did admit he has had some problems with the new system and agrees the boxes could get too heavy for some seniors to lift, especially if the contents of the paper carrying box get wet.

Mund said the boxes may also inhibit people from recycling some materials and they simply throw them away and he personally preferred the old system, but the new one is the system they now have to work with.