The Editor,
Re. “Garbage info needed in PoCo” (Letters, The Tri-City News, Sept. 25).
I share letter writer Ian MacSween’s frustration over the maze of rules for appropriate garbage, recycling and yard waste bin contents.
The city of Port Moody provides a printed “Quick Guide” to waste disposal and recycling with a combination of word lists and pictures. But if you want to dispose of a fluorescent tube, for example, scanning this three-page document is time-consuming and frustrating.
A few months ago, I contacted the city to urge it to create an online database. The user would type in a description of the material to be discarded and the database would respond with the name of the appropriate home disposal bin (recycling, garbage, yard waste, or glass bins) or direct the user to an off-site disposal location (such as Encorp). I’m still waiting.
Metro Vancouver has a searchable database, which is very useful, for disposing of unusual items. But unfortunately, it is not coordinated with a municipality’s waste and recycling services. For instance, if I select “yard and garden” in the dropdown “Material Category” window, and “yard and garden trimmings” as the material description, the Metro Vancouver system directs me to commercial disposal operators rather than telling me to put it in my yard waste bin.
Currently, I have a mini-sorting operation in my garage where I separate plastic film, Styrofoam, glass and milk cartons from other recyclable materials. I often wonder how people without a garage or disabled residents cope with this sorting challenge.
As Mr. MacSween concluded, I suspect that many recyclable materials end up in the garbage bin.
Derek Wilson, Port Moody
