IF for some reason you did not receive it feel free to download it here or download the Hazardous & Electronic Waste Collection Schedule/Brochure.

ALSO. FEEL FREE TO ATTEND ANY EVENT YOU SEE ON THIS SCHEDULE IF YOU ARE RESIDENT OF CENTRE & SOUTH HASTINGS. You are not restricted to attending the event that is being held in you community, you may attend any of the events on this calendar irrespective of the municipality/township you live in.

IF, you don’t see an event for your particular community, it may be that it is scheduled for the second half of the year, between July & December. Not to worry, there will be a second schedule sent out in June,  just like this one was sent out. OR, have a look at our Events Calendar located right on our Home Page or  here, for all Events for 2012.

On the back of this schedule you will find the 2012 Blue Box  Recycling Sort Card and there is lots more Blue Box Recycling information on our website as well.

If you have any other questions you can submit them through the ‘Still Have Questions’ section of our website located on both the Hazardous Waste and the Waste Electronics Pages  and you will reach me or one of the other helpful staff here at the office.

Thank you for recycling responsibly!

If I had a dime for every time I heard someone say, ‘We thought we would keep it JUST IN CASE….my sister/cousin/neice’s best friend’s father’s boss needed it….JUST IN CASE the new one breaks….JUST IN CASE we needed it for the spare room’ but in the end they simply gather dust and take up space – I am of course talking about our old, unused electronics! 

And it’s that time of year again when the shiny new electronics show up under the tree rendering the not so shiny ones already in the living room or office obsolete!

So, ‘JUST IN CASE’ you decide it’s time to recycle those old electronics
and ‘JUST IN CASE’ you decide you aren’t going to hold on to the old TV,
computer, cell phone, headphones, I wanted to let everyone know EVERY
THURSDAY from 10AM TO 2PM until April 2012, you can recycle your electronics at our Hazardous & ELECTRONIC Waste Depot at 75 Wallbridge Crescent in Belleville.

Here’s a LIST of everything we accept and if you don’t see your item on the list,
submit a question at the bottom of our Electronics Recycling page and I will let you know what other options you have – yes, even over the Christmas Holidays, I am here to answer your questions!

Happy Holidays and Thank you for taking the time to find out how to Recycle Responsibly!

This is probably the most common question we get from residents, and while it may look that way because of the set-up on the recycling truck, they truly are doing a partial sort at the curb.

Our trucks are divided into 4 compartments; clear glass, colour glass, mixed fibres and mixed containers.

In the mixed container compartment, the driver throws all of your aluminum and tin cans, rigid plastics, Styrofoam and empty aerosol and paint cans. Beside that is the mixed fibre compartment where he throws all the newspapers, boxboard, office paper, grocery bags and corrugated cardboard.

Now, to the right of the driver you will notice two other compartments that sort of hang on the outside of the truck. One is for clear glass bottles and jars and the other is for coloured glass bottles and jars. When this compartment starts to fill up the driver will dump it into the truck where it is kept separate from the other items already in the truck.

At the end of the day or when the truck gets full, whichever comes first the truck will bring all the recyclables collected to the recycling plant also called the Material Recovery Facility (MRF) where it is dumped from the truck into separate piles. A loader will then scoop up the items and place them onto a conveyer belt where the recyclables travel along to be hand sorted into 14 separate groups.

Did you know plastics are sorted into 5 different types based on a number inside a mobius loop found on the item?

After the items are separated into their 14 separate groups, they get baled and shipped to various markets where they will be made into new materials.

What happens if I don’t sort my recyclables?

Quite honestly, it may not get picked up. That’s because our program relies heavily on our residents doing a partial sort at home. Not only does this keep the cost of the program down for us as taxpayers, it also helps us to produce a better quality material that the end markets want to buy.

Attention: All Blue Box give-away events have been held. If you did not have an opportunity to pick up a free blue box, call our office at 613 394 6266. We will provide you with a location near you where you can acquire one while supplies last.

By now you may of heard that Quinte Waste Solutions is attempting to move away from bags as an acceptable set-out method.  The only exception would be to place shredded or non-shredded office paper in a clear/transparent blue bag.

In this area, we operate a dual-stream, Blue Box program. It is important that the material we collect is loose when it goes onto the truck, so that it is loose when it enters the plant to be sorted.

There is no change to the collection schedule. If you are currently picked up bi-weekly, you will continue to be picked up bi-weekly. Same goes for those on weekly collection, your schedule will continue as normal.

This page has been created to give you the big picture to help you better understand this need for change. If you have further questions, please feel free to use the form below to send us an email, or contact us by phone.

Funding to Operate a Recycling Program

To give you an understanding, It’s best we start with the economics of recycling.

The total annual operating cost to run the various diversion programs Quinte Waste Solutions provides on behalf of the Centre and South Hastings Waste Services Board is 4.4 million dollars for 2011.

1.1 million is recovered through grants and  Waste Diversion Ontario funding with another 1.5 million dollars coming from the revenue of materials marketed by Quinte Waste Solutions (the material collected and sold to make new products).

The remaining cost to run the program, in this case 1.8 million dollars is split amongst the 9 municipal members we serve based on the amount of recycling collected in each area. That money is levied from all of us through our property taxes.

What’s important to understand is that the municipalities are on the hook for any remaining costs to operate the program once all funding, and revenue from materials marketed the year prior are received.

So why are bags of recycling such a problem?

Bags of recycling present many challenges during the processing of the material at the recycling plant. At home, depending on whether you have 2 or more blue boxes, you are asked to separate your recycling into 3 categories. 1 box for your “mixed containers” and another box for your “mixed paper products”. The third category is for your corrugated cardboard or moving type boxes that have to be bundled.

Here at the recycling plant, we have people employed on two separate sort lines that sort that material into 14 separate categories. Each category to be sold to end markets where they are made into new products.

In recent months, with the economy rebounding and people purchasing more, we are capturing more material than we ever have. Our latest 4 season waste audits completed this past spring indicate that together we are capturing 86% of all the available curbside recycling. A 4% increase over the 2007 curbside capture rate.

That’s great, however that means we have to process more material than we had to in the past.

So getting back to the bags. Several years ago,  acting in good faith we started to accept recycling in bags so long as people were recycling all that they could.

Fast forward to today where we are receiving an abundance of bags, our system quite simply, can not keep up. The Material Recovery Facility as it is known is not equipped with the necessary equipment required to open bags before they end up on the sort line. Thus, requiring our sorters to tear the bags open manually by hand, slowing our processing line to a crawl.

Ideally, to be able to process the days “catch” of recycling, we need to be able to sort upwards of 5 metric tonnes per hour. We are currently processing between 3 and 3.5 metric tonnes per hour.

In a nutshell, we quite simply can not process everything collected today, tomorrow. But don’t worry, we are not sending it to landfill, but rather are forced to bale the material mixed together to sell at a reduced price to a neighboring municipality to sort for us. Losing out on money that could have otherwise been used to offset our program cost.

Update: Before the new year, Quinte Waste Solutions held Blue Box Give-Away days throughout the 9 municipalities. During that campaign, Quinte Waste Solutions handed out close to 10,000 free blue boxes to residents in need. This effort  by our community to reduce their dependence on using the bags to set-out their recycling has enabled us to continue once again to process all the material collected, at our plant here in Trenton.

This is very important as it allows our program to maximize on the revenue from the sales of materials collected, which in turn offsets the amount we as taxpayers have to pay. That being said, more work has to be done by those who continue to use bags to set-out recycling to ensure the cost of the program remains affordable for all residents moving forward.

Triple Bottom Line

At Quinte Waste Solutions we have what’s called a “Triple Bottom Line”. We try to base all our decisions considering their Environmental, Social and Economical impacts. What that means, is we’re looking for solutions that are good for the environment, good for you and our community and good for your wallet.

We did consider purchasing the equipment required to mechanically open bags, however because of the cost (custom built machines can cost anywhere between $150,000 and  $300,000 – we would require two, one for each sort line) and the economic climate, the decision to move away from bags seemed like the better option. After all, we as taxpayers would be on the hook.

The fact is, Blue Boxes cost $6.50 and can be exchanged for free if broken in every municipality we operate in. Further, by limiting the use of bags for shredded/non-shredded paper only, we are reducing our need to purchase them, thus reducing the manufacturers need to produce them. Isn’t that really what its all about?

So by moving away from bags, over time you’ll save money by not having to purchase them. Your taxes won’t have to be raised to pay for the costly equipment that would have been required, and we can all feel good knowing that we are reducing our dependency on plastic bags.

When did we realize bags were such an issue?

Approximately every four years, we conduct 4 season waste audits to measure our programs effectiveness. During a waste audit, random houses throughout our service area are selected and their recycling and garbage is taken to a facility where it is sorted and weighed to determine if the materials are being disposed of in the proper place. The last audit was completed this past spring.

While we did realize our processing rate was down due to the bags, we did not know that the bags were also contributing to garbage entering the plant unnoticed.

This is another reason we opted to make the decision to move away from bags. At the end of the day, any garbage that comes into the plant has to be removed at a cost to the program.

Have you ever forgotten to put your recycling out on your pick up day or maybe you were away and were unable to set it out? I have, and I just brought it to work with me because yes I work at the recycling plant. Did you know you can bring it here as well?

Quinte Waste Solutions has a depot that is open to the public Monday to Friday from 8am to 5pm. You can bring all your recyclables including corrugated cardboard, boxboard, grocery bags, cans, rigid plastics, glass bottles and jars. It is so simple and it is open to everybody.

Quinte Waste Solutions is located at 270 West Street, Trenton ON.

When you arrive at our location come into the office so we can say hello to you and show you where to place your recycling. Sometimes if somebody comes in with a large load of corrugated cardboard we will supply you with safety gear and have you take it out back and place in the bigger cages for your convenience. It’s that simple and it won’t cost you money other than the drive to get here.

While you are here you can pick up a sort card for recycling or a Hazardous Waste Schedule (HW depot is located at 75 Wallbridge Crescent, Belleville). You can exchange a broken blue box or purchase another blue box ($6.50) if you don’t have enough (there is no limit as to how many you set out). We also sell composters ($65) compost buckets $7 & $10).

If it is too far of a drive for you to come to our facility call your local Municipal office for a recycling depot near you. This might read like an advertisement, it is what it is. A lot of people don’t know there is a recycling depot that they can access at their own convenience and I wanted to share this information with you.

Keep up the good work people!

Why would you want to send your food scraps to a landfill when you can save money and use it right in your own back yard? To make compost you first need a composter to place your food scraps into. There are many different varieties out there to choose from and finding one that best suits you is something you need to experience for yourself. However I can recommend the types I am using myself as they break down the food scraps fast.

First of all I will start with my big open top wooden composter I use for my larger yard waste.

This is where I place my larger yard waste items such as large quantities of leaves, grass clippings, ashes from our wood stove, twigs, end of season annuals etc. Once this is broke down and turned into soil rich compost I then use it around trees throughout my lawn and in my rhubarb patch.

This is the Digestor I use for my pets waste, bones, grease and fatty foods.

When using this type of composter you first have to dig a hole in the ground. I recommend at least 3′ deep and 2 1/2′ wide. Place the cone over the hole and place some of the dirt you dug over the bottom edge of cone. Use the remaining dirt through out you yard and in other composters if you have them. Then throw your meats, bones, animal feces etc. into the top of the cone by removing the lid tossing in your items and pushing the lid back on. When the hole you dug gets filled almost to the top(Do not fill to the top of the cone) then it’s time to relocate your digestor. Using the dirt you dig from your new hole cover the items in the old hole. Repeat this process through out your yard. Items you buried will break down over time. With it being buried wild life will not be able to find it.

Finally my favorite composter I use is called the earth machine. Inside this composter I place the rest of my food scraps such as lettuce, potato peelings, bad apples, onion skins, coffee grounds tea bags, egg shells, any fruit skin, watermelon rind, grass clippings, leaves etc.

Ok, so if you go out and purchase a earth-machining composter as I did you will bring it home assemble the top part to the base. Find a sunny location not to far away from your house to place it. Snap it together until it locks. Then with the plastic screws that came with it screw it to the ground so it does not blow away. Next place the sliding door to the side/bottom of the base and place the top lid in place and turning it to lock it.
Now all you have left to do is start placing your food scraps inside. I recommend doing this in layers. When ever you add wet ingredients add a layer of dry ingredients. This helps keep down odours and fruit flies. Every other week you should stir it up to speed up the process.

When all is said and done your reward will be this nice rich soil to use in your garden and yard.

Happy Composting!

I handle the communications at Quinte Waste Solutions. That’s my role anyway; it’s more of a group effort as you’ll see soon enough. Everything I’ve read about blogging for work tells me to be honest, transparent, basically yourself, so here we go.

Am I a great recycler? The jury is still out I’m sure. I have my moments, just like everyone else. You know what I’m talking about… You’re miles away from a recycling bin, you just finished that can of coke that sprayed sticky syrup all over your hands when you opened it. Bees are taking notice to your sweet smell and you spot a garbage can. Out of sight, out of mind, right? It happens, maybe not to everyone, but let’s be honest with each other, shall we?

The truth is we all recycle for our own reasons. Some do it for their health or for the health of their community. Some consider the savings as their motivator. Others are tuned in to nature, their fingertips on the pulse of our environment.  Me you ask? At home, I would have to say I mostly do it because my wife tells me to, but only because we’re being honest.

I’ve been recycling since the early nineties, just about the time recycling started in Canada.  For those that may not know, it all began in Kitchener Waterloo, Ontario. Or at least “Curbside” recycling did anyways. Recycling has been around since – forever. They just never called it recycling.

I never really knew why I recycled, except that the things I recycled would eventually be made into new things. Since I started working at Quinte Waste Solutions two years ago, I began to realize that there’s more to recycling than that.

Have you ever heard the expression “not in my backyard”? It describes the feelings most of us have about the thought of new landfills popping up in our communities. Right down the road we see firsthand the struggle between a community and the possibility of a current landfill expansion.

The fact is, when an old landfill runs out of room, new landfills have to be opened. At a substantial cost to you and your communities health, as well as your wallet as a tax payer. To give you an idea of the economics of it all – the operating cost of the recycling centre that services the 9 local municipalities is 4.3 million dollars for 2011. 1.5 million Is recovered from that material we sell (the items that you set out for recycling). 1.8 million dollars is split among the 9 municipalities based on the amount of recycling and homes in each area. And the rest is funded through Industry Funded Organizations (IFO) or the manufacturers that produce the material. Again, that’s 4.3 million dollars a year!

And that’s a steal of a deal when stacked up against the total cost of sighting a new landfill.

That’s where we come in. The more recycling we divert together as a community, the longer the lifespan of our current landfills. It’s that simple. Don’t get me wrong, there’ still the environmental cost, our health and our children’s health of course.

Honestly, does any of that matter to you? The bright side of things is that we as a community, a greater community that is, are doing a pretty fantastic job!

In 2007 we were ranked #2 among Ontario municipalities of the same size and type. Coming 2nd only to some town I’ve never heard of ; ) But that’s still pretty darn good don’t you think?

Please have a look around our blog and share any tips and suggestions you may have about any of the topics being discussed.

See you around town!