[Cowtown]

I decided to start a thread for Calgary's recycling system.

 

[Cowtown]

I don't know if you guys have seen this article from the Herald or not, but apparently China has stopped receiving recyclable materials from foreign countries, which includes Canada, which now means we have no place to send our papers and plastics.

http://calgaryherald.com/pmn/news-p...ents/wcm/a076ec90-6d32-4a4e-84be-833961bb3359
Calgary has 5,000 tonnes of recyclables and no one to take them

I'm sure there's a solution for this, but in the meantime, it's a setback.

 

[Beltline_B]

It’s first I’ve heard of this not great news. However, this is only a money issue as all of those recyclables can be processed here in Canada it’s just more expensive.
If nothing is figured out soon maybe the government can look at adding a recycling tax to go towards some new processing plants?

 

[googspecial]

It’s first I’ve heard of this not great news. However, this is only a money issue as all of those recyclables can be processed here in Canada it’s just more expensive.
If nothing is figured out soon maybe the government can look at adding a recycling tax to go towards some new processing plants?

Adding a tax I worry will discourage people from recycling. Already pay for pick-up, could hide it in a fee increase, but would still get an angry bunch. Wonder if this would be a good use of the carbon tax? Especially with cannabis coming online soon, it'll free up some tax money elsewhere...

 

[Surrealplaces]

I'm not sure what the solution is, but if we are going to go through the trouble of collecting recyclables and possibly still sorting them it only makes sense to at least process them. It looks like all cities in Canada are in the same boat so maybe this needs to be a national thing, maybe a half dozen processing plants across the country. If not maybe Alberta to do their own local thing by having two main plants one in Calgary and one in Edmonton.

 

[Cowtown]

I hate to say it, but the best solution might be for Calgary (or Alberta) to create their own processing plant that is subsidized. Adding some extra fees to the garbage collection in order to support it. I hate to see extra costs added to my bills, but it's the only solution, unless we can find another 3rd world country to take it, but even then, it's not a great solution. You don't know if the same thing will happen later, also there's cost and carbon footprint of moving the stuff overseas.

 

[Oddball]

Bury it.

 

[MichaelS]

How clean can they make the incineration plants these days? I always thought, provided it isn't too dirty, this is the best route. You generate heat/power, and you don't forever contaminate/sterilize a bunch of land. I know BIG (Bjarke Ingels) did one in Denmark, that also doubled as a ski hill:
https://www.theguardian.com/cities/...openhagen-waste-plant-bjarke-ingels-ski-slope

 

[darwink]

Burn, recycle for less revenue, enerkem (diesel) or bury it.