Turner Valley’s mayor and top administrator are asking recyclers to not let an absent market for recycled glass change their recycling habits. The Oilfields Recycling Facility hasn’t received revenue for recycled glass products for several years and now sends the product to the landfill, yet chief administrative officer Todd Sharpe wants users of the facility to keep recycling it. “We certainly don’t want people to get out of the habit, because things could change quickly,” he said. “It’s important to not pick and choose what to recycle.” Turner Valley is in charge of operating the Oilfields Recycle Facility, a regional service that’s shared between Turner Valley, Black Diamond and the MD of Foothills. Users place their recyclables in various labeled bins at the facility before the material is compacted into bales and transported to Capital Paper in Calgary. The Town receives a credit on materials based on the brokers’ rates, which are in constant flux, Sharpe said. Last year’s rebates totalled $11,404. Glass will continue to be collected at the facility and shipped to the Foothills Regional Landfill and Resource Recovery Centre until a suitable or profitable market is found, Sharpe said. “We are not alone in that,” he said. “Obviously other partners in the area are faced with the same thing. We are hopeful the market will emerge. Things are changing drastically on a monthly basis around the world.” Sharpe said the Town budgeted $176,000 this year to operate the facility, a cost that is shared equally between the partnering municipalities. Turner Valley property owners pay $6 each month on their utility bills to offset the Town’s share. Sharpe said the trend for recycled material revenues seems to be downward. “There’s a lot of uncertainty in the recycling world right now with a drop in demand for commodities and with China not taking as much refuse,” he said. Despite this trend, Sharpe said it shouldn’t change people’s behaviours. “It’s more than just a financial benefit,” he said. “By diverting waste it allows us to maximize the space in the landfill and it’s a social responsibility for the diversion of waste. It’s more than a financial obligation there.” Sharpe said space would be an issue if all material went to the landfill to eliminate the $6 per month cost to Turner Valley property owners to operate the facility. “If we can divert, reuse and find alternative purposes for our refuse we’re not only being better for our environment we are being better for the space and things that are required to accommodate our garbage and reducing our demand on the environment for new resources,” he said. Sharpe said he expects the market to bounce back and sees the potential for a better system locally and regionally. “We are always looking for better efficiencies and better options, whether we perform the work ourselves or look to the private sector,” he said. “We’re always looking to ensure best practice and ensure we’re getting the best value for taxpayer dollars, but at the same time having available options can be a challenge as well.” Discussions were held regarding a regional service with Turner Valley’s previous council, although no decisions were made. The topic hasn’t yet come to the table for the current council. Sharpe said it’s a decision that takes a lot of consideration. “As we look to other alternatives we have to make sure whatever options we adopt are sustainable,” he said. “Regionally there is discussions around the value of other recycling options – whether curbside, partnering regionally, we’re looking at all of those things.” Mayor Gary Rowntree said it’s certainly something council will discuss in the future. “This is not a singular thing just with this council,” he said. “Turner Valley alone cannot make this decision and we have to do it in collaboration with other communities. It may reach out to Okotoks as well.” As for recycling glass, Rowntree doesn’t plan to stop. “It’s in my routine and from an environmentally responsible perspective it’s the way to do it and when the market improves then, hey,” he said. “If we’re going to be environmentally friendly we have to do be the best we can with it and be committed to it and not find excuses.” Rowntree said the Oilfields Recycling Centre is critical to the community. “I find the process here quite easy to use,” he said. “It’s not open 24/7, which some people think we should do, but if you’re committed to a certain environmental responsibility process you will do it. “I have a bunch of blue bins in my garage and keep one in my kitchen and every week I sort it. Is it convenient? No, but I do it. I’m retired but before I was retired it’s what I did.”
