Sundre's recycling depot is not a waste transfer station.
By and large, town and Mountain View County residents seem to understand this and have been putting the facility to good use.
But as with all things in life, it only takes a few people to cause problems.
Since the recycling depot was relocated last fall to 6th Street SE near the soccer fields from 1st Avenue SW near the museum, there have been instances of people dumping off garbage, including the likes of old furniture and five-gallon jugs of used oil, which is in violation of environmental regulations. There have also been times when town staff found electronic waste like computers, which while recyclable is not meant to be dropped off at the recycling depot.
"We've seen certainly a lot of use of the recycling centre, which is just exactly what we want to see," said Mayor Terry Leslie during a recent interview with the Round Up.
"We have seen, though, some dropping off of garbage," he added.
"It's an honour system that's not being honoured by everyone."
The situation got really hectic over the holidays, when it wasn't uncommon for piles of debris, including some recyclable materials, to build up at the site. But even since then, the problem has persisted to a degree. Town staff end up having to every week spend additional hours, which are not budgeted for, to clean things up.
"That was never the intent of the recycling centre," said the mayor.
Residents who notice people failing to use the recycling centre appropriately are encouraged to report them either to the town office at 403-638-3551 or the Sundre RCMP detachment at 403-638-3675, he said.
"This is littering ó it is not in any way recycling if you're not using that facility properly."
The bins are all labelled in terms of what items should be dropped in. If a bin looks full, residents are encouraged to make sure there isn't room either in the back of the bin or in another bin, said Jim Hall, the town's operation manager.
A large pile of boxes was recently dumped next to the cardboard bin, which while full at the front still had room at the back, he said, adding town staff ended up cleaning the mess.
If worst comes to worst, he added, CanPak, the contractor that handles replacing full bins with empty ones, can be called on to come for a pickup. Although scheduled for a weekly pickup, they can return more often if needed, he said.
A recycling depot is meant for everyone. It is not a waste transfer site and should not be treated as a dump. The more residents respect and use the facility responsibly, which many already do, the better the situation will be for everybody.
