Recycling in the Flin Flon area just got a lot more convenient.
The Flin Flon and District Environmental Council along with the City of Flin Flon have placed a recycling trailer in the parking lot of the former Extra Foods building.
The green trailer sits the length of two parking spots in the otherwise vacant lot, holding household items, cardboard and other recyclables.
The Environmental Council’s Deb Odegaard got the idea from recycling trailers in The Pas, home to a company that also manufactures the units.
She proposed the concept of a trailer for Flin Flon to city council last fall.
When council indicated an interest in supporting the project, Odegaard contacted the trailer manufacturer.
The city footed the bill of roughly $8,500 for the structure to be placed in the parking lot, and Odegaard says it appears to be a good decision so far.
The trailer was originally emptied by Recycling Centre staff as they made their normal rounds throughout the community to pick up recyclables.
For the past three weeks, however, they have emptied the trailer weekly as usage increases.
“Even just [Monday] night I noticed it was getting full so I think we’ll have to change it from being every seven days,” Odegaard says.
Odegaard says she’s pleased with the success of the trailer, as is Mayor George Fontaine.
“If it means that [the Recycling Centre’s] business is going to be more effective and more people are going to take advantage of having more receptacles in more locations, then I think that’s great,” said the mayor.
Having the trailer located in the former Extra Foods parking lot is a time-saver for many residents, Odegaard said.
“Not everyone drives to the Recycling Centre on their way to work,” she said. “It’s a more central location and it’s easy.”
What goes in there
The trailer accepts the same recyclable materials as the Recycling Centre.
Flattened cardboard fills one section of the caged trailer while the other two bins are set aside for household items.
Odegaard says items like televisions likely will not fit.
Once the trailer is full, the contents are trucked to the Recycling Centre and are ultimately processed.
Odegaard asks that all household items be placed in tied bags or boxes.
“We have to handle it again so this way we can take it out,” she said.
