What’s the point of the city blue bag program after the recent changes?
Our family recalls the good old days where there were bins in Riel Park and once a month or so, I would drive our boxes of cardboard, paper, glass, tins and plastic to the recycle centre and drop them off. It was efficient, easy to understand what can be recycled, clean and everything was pre-sorted by residents.
Now the city charges me $5 a month to come pick up an almost empty bag of newspaper and cardboard, with a giant diesel-burning truck that probably is creating more environmental damage with all the blue bags that are required by the program.
How about give me back the $5 blue bag charge on my city bill, then I don’t have to go buy blue bags, a giant truck no longer spews carbon as it drives around town five days a week, and put the recycle centres back.
People like me who are interested in recycling will still do so, the rules about what can be recycled will be easier to follow, and I won’t be adding more plastic to our environment for little or no reason. Those people who do not probably sort their blue bags will no longer contaminate the recycle system, as they will just brown bin everything.
Much simpler system, better for the environment and cheaper for the residents.
Brian Low, St. Albert
