By Troy Gillard

Drop-off bins on the way

Glass recycling back from the dead in Sylvan Lake

Jun 25, 2019 | 4:55 PM

Sylvan Lakers can continue recycling glass products after all.

The Town of Sylvan Lake recently learned their recycling depot contractor would no longer accept glass products due to “non-existent global markets.” Residents were asked to stop placing glass items in their blue carts and to instead place them in black carts to be land-filled.

The announcement led to discussions amongst Town staff and residents regarding glass recycling options. A resident on social media suggested contacting a nearby town who had recently resolved their glass recycling issue.

Through contact with the Town of Innisfail, administration was directed to B.C.-based United Concrete & Gravel. Arrangements with the company were made to remove glass from the Sylvan Lake Waste Transfer Site as required.

There is no formal agreement in place and either party can opt-out of the service at any time.

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United Concrete & Gravel does not offer curbside glass collection, meaning residents will be required to bring their glass products to the Waste Transfer Site for no-charge disposal. A second glass drop-off bin is expected to be placed at the west-end recycle depot located on 60 Street at the dog park. The Waste Transfer Site drop-off has limited hours of access, but the west-end recycle facility has 24-hour access.

“Although drop-off bins involve more effort from the public, it is a viable alternative for environmentally conscious residents to recycle glass products rather than land-filling,” Operations Manager John Watson explained in a report to Council.

Additional drop-off bins may be added at other locations as necessary for public convenience. Glass recycling is expected to begin within a few weeks once the bins are in place.

United Concrete & Gravel has been using crushed and filtered glass as sandblasting material for over 20 years and says the Alberta oil industry is a significant user of their product.

Although the recycler does not charge for the glass tippage, there is a charge to the Town for transporting glass to the facility in Quesnel, British Columbia of $60 per tonne. The current cost to the Town for landfilling glass is $135 per tonne, while the previous cost for recycling glass was $169 per tonne.

The Town generates about 12 tonnes of glass per year which will realize an annual cost savings of about $1,000.

The drop-off bins at the west-end recycle depot is expected to cost about $5,000 per year for a total net increase cost of about $4,000 per year, which Watson says the recycling operating budget is adequately funded to cover.

(With file from Town of Sylvan Lake)