Clear up recycling no-no

The City of Penticton has issued a reminder about two common recycling mistakes that continue to proliferate in local blue bins.

Items contained in plastic bags continue to be placed in the carts, according to recent audits. Whether they be blue, black or clear, they do not belong in the the bins.

“The recycling receiving facility frequently receives materials that have been sorted and tied into plastic bags. This may seem like it is helpful, but it results in the bags and contents within them needing to be thrown away,” said sustainability coordinator Madison Poultney in a press release.

“The bags cannot be opened because there have been numerous instances where a staff member has been injured by something inside.”

As well, metal and plastic containers are being found stacked together, which poses difficulties during the sorting process. Also, papers stashed inside of a cereal box, and shoving any type of materials into a large plastic container is unhelpful.

"Materials like these that arrive at the receiving facility are deemed 'unsortable materials,' cannot be recycled and are sent to the landfill. This adds to the city’s overall contamination rate, which can result in fines from RecycleBC that will ultimately be passed down to taxpayers," reads the press release.

The only material that can be placed in a paper bag or small cardboard box within a blue bin is shredded paper.

“Instead of tying recycling in a plastic bag or mixing stacks of containers, please throw all materials in your cart or bin loosely to ensure that they will be properly recycled,” added Poultney.

The city advises that the best way to recycle flexible plastics is to take them to the flexible plastics bin at the depot.

Flexible plastics can be taken at the J&C Bottle Depot (200 Rosetown Avenue) or the recycling depot at Campbell Mountain Landfill (1765 Reservoir Road).