26 - Friday, November 8, 1991 — North Shore News ENVIRONMENT N. Shore Recycling Program planning a drop-off depot LAST WEEK in this column we ventured into foreign economic conditions and environmental lands, global degradation in developing countries. This week we return to our own . backyards with an update on the North Shore’s blue-box program, which has been fully under way for just over one year. In August, 1990 — before the advent of curbside recycling pick-up in single-family homes — a North Shore News survey of 466 local residents indicated that 78.6% of them would be willing to participate in the blue-box pro- gram when it started. Another survey in March 1991 showed that 94.7% of 466 North Shore people randomly contacted were actually using their biue box — a 16% greater participation '_. pate than residents themselves had ’ predicted. The amount of recyclables col- lected each month from the three North Shore municipalities stacks up well against that from other Greater Vancouver Regional District communities. On average, 700 tonnes per month is recycled on the North : -: Shore — not including recyclables from our drop-off depots — . compared with between 400 and 500 tonnes per month in Burnaby, _ @ municipality with roughly the_ same population as the North Shore. In Vancouver City — whose population is 450,000, compared ‘with our 150,000 residents — _ Vancouver recycling coordinator ‘Jody Andrews says they collect 1,050 tonnes per rmonth through their blue-box program. “ “Both Vancouver and Burnaby + collect more plastics than we do’. — Vancouver. City will accept all Peggy ; Trendell- Whittaker ‘ECOINFO rigid plastics, and Burnaby, al- though it will only take plastic milk jugs and pop bottles in the blue: box, will accept both rigid and soft plastics at their drop-off depots. There are a few problems with plastic recycling — besides the fact that most plastics can’t be remade into their original form, but are used to make a lower- , grade product. One problem is the cost. The market fluctuates, but usually you don’t get revenue from your col- lected plastic — it’s more likely that you'll have to pay to have it taken away and processed. The cost of adding mixed plastic — or mixed paper, for that matter — to the blue-box collec- tion is prohibitive at this point. Adding mixed paper to the North Shore blue-box program would double the cost of the program as a whole — adding $1 million an- nually. The North Shore " Recycling ’ Program, however, is planning a staffed recycling drop-off depot that could accept a wide variety of recyclables, including mixed paper and more plastics. Having a drop-off depot would avoid collection costs, and, as Burnaby recycling coordinator Ralph Bischoff said when discuss- ing his municipality’s plastic recycling, it’s cheaper to pay someone $30 per tonne to take it than to pay $69 per tonne in fees at the Burnaby incinerator. North Shore Recycling Coor- dinator Al Lynch says he hopes _ our staffed depot will be up and running by mid-to-late 1992. The other problem with plastics recycling, according to Van- couver’s Jody Andrews, is that the plastic used in many products cannot be identified. The plastic number code is vol- untary, and many plastic items, especially those from overseas, do not have the code on them. While the high-grade, easily identifiable plastics such as pop bottles, shampoo bottles and milk jugs are sorted and sold locally, Andrews says that the remainder of Vancouver’s plastics are usually shipped overseas, where laborers try to sort them by type. Those low-grade plastics that cannot be identified are thrown out, not recycled. While not wanting to minimize the problem, Lynch says that plastics aren’t his priority on the North Shore, as they make up on- See Survey page 28 | pays ONLY Friday Nov. 8th to Monday, Nov. 44th | nonesuch — Boutique 5% on our entire selection of fall/winter ... Nonesuch Wan Ladies’ Suits & Jackets plus no GST Nonesuch, Whistler — Skiwear & Outerwear by LUHTA, PERALP OBERMEYER, NILS, BOSTON TRADERS, COATE OF FLORENCE AND MORE DON’T MISS OUT! 1457 Bellevue Ave., Wivan, 925-9454 ALL SALES FINAL Delta Min. Square, Whistler Village 932-5300 Open Sunday and Holiday Monday The North Shore’s hottest spot just got HOTTER!!! We are proud to present John Wish & Ward Wilson, two great new D.J.s performing 7 nights a week. .. Don’t miss Casino night Wednesdays at 8:60-11:00 pm, and our CHRX SKI BASH, Thursday, November Zist - 8:00 pm. 2nd Floor, Lonsdale Quay Market SAILOR HAGAR’S SUPER-LIGHT TASTE CHALLEN GE © Com limentary Low- alcohol beer tasting Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday November 8, 9, 10, 11 - 4:30-8:30 p.m. * Buckler * Special Light * Exel © 05 Sailor Hagar’s Cold Beer and Wine Shop 235 W. Ist St., N.Van. 984-7669