How much is a recycling program worth?
In strict terms, the answer is $176,735. That is how much it costs the town, according to its audited financial report, to run the program in 2015, after subtracting the amount they were able to recover through the sale of recyclable materials. Meaning no matter how you slice it, whether it be a good or bad year for prices of recyclables, on the surface of it, it’s a money loser. Not that whether a program makes money or not should be the deciding factor if any government, municipal or otherwise, implements a program.
If that were the case, no one would ever receive any government services because at the best of times they are only run on a cost recovery basis.
That being said, council is right to take a second look at the program.
Any program that costs close to $200,000 to operate should be looked at to see not only if it should continue, but also to see if there are any efficiencies to be gained.
Not that the Leader believes the program should be scrapped. In the near future, the town will ask residents their opinion about the program: or whether the program should be continued, whether it should be expanded, and if residents should be charged a fee for such a service.
We at the Leader believe people should seriously consider the ramifications of discontinuing the program, environmentally and economically. In this issue, on page 2, you will read how BCHS high school students, who are concerned about the environment asked for the town’s assistance to participate in its recycling program by providing a recycling receptacle at the school.
Whether or not the town should grant this request is another issue, but the students are on the right track by wanting to be involved in the recycling program.
Not just because it is the politically correct thing to do, but because not doing so has some real ramifications, environmentally and to the town’s bottom line.
On the face of it, economically it’s a no brainer — the recycling program loses money. But in the long run, discontinuing the program could cost us more.
By having a recycling program, it is extending the life of our landfill and if we expand it or had a better buy in — we’re extending its lifespan that much more.
Bonnyville, along with the other members of the Beaver River Municipal Waste Commission, ship their garbage to the Thorhild landfill, at considerable expense, because they no longer have one of their own. Woodlands County Coun. Dale McQueen, after discussion with a Bonnyville councillor, said it cost the commission $1.2 million annually for the trucking costs alone.
So when the town asks for your opinion on recycling, give it some real thought and respond in kind, there is a lot to consider.
