Beginning this September, Cavan Monaghan will begin promoting the use of clear garbage bags, which will become mandatory on January 1st. These bags have resulted in significant reduction in garbage production in neighbouring communities such as Douro-Dummer and Asphodel, and their use was adopted last month as part of the township’s efforts to reduce the waste destined for the landfill. Because the bag contents are visible, collectors can avoid safety concerns as they can identify hazardous waste in the bags. The transparency also encourages higher rates of recycling, as collectors can reject and tag bags containing divertible content. Privacy concerns are addressed through the use of a small opaque bag inside the clear one.
What is recyclable? Paper, plastic bags but not chip bags, wrappers or cereal/cracker box liners. Hard plastic items including laundry baskets, lawn furniture, children’s toys such as slides, provided all metal components are removed are received at the Norwood Transfer Station located at 187 County Rd. 40 for recycling.
Household items that are not recyclable include any building components such as vinyl siding or eaves trough, anything removed from a car including bumpers, all resin items, pipe-shaped items such as hoses and anything with metal attached.
The township transfer station offers recycling bins for electronics and batteries. All electronic and electrical items including small appliances, telephones and cell phones are welcome in these bins. Ineligible items include air conditioners, dehumidifiers, fridges and freezers and any gas-powered device.
Some household items are classified as hazardous waste and require careful disposal. These articles should be stored in their original containers in a cool, dry place until they can be delivered to the Hazardous Waste disposal depot at 400 Pido Rd. in Peterborough. Hazardous items include aerosols, automotive fluids, cleaning products, cosmetics, paint, pesticides and herbicides, pool chemicals and propane cylinders, to name a few. Needles and unused medications should be delivered to a pharmacy for proper disposal.
Eligible recycling items change from time to time based on the diversion options and their costs. For example, Styrofoam containers such as meat trays and cups should now be included in household garbage disposal, whereas clean Styrofoam packing blocks can be delivered to the Pido Rd. location where it will be recycled. For some products, the rules are a bit more complicated. Regular light bulbs are treated as normal garbage but fluorescent bulbs and tubes must be separated into hazardous waste as they contain mercury.
Not sure about an item? There’s an app for that- it’s called My Waste. There is also a searchable portal on the County website at www.ptbocounty.ca where you can learn how to dispose of specific items. KG
