The Municipality of Boissevain-Morton is planning on starting up their volunteer recycling program, now that Manitoba has begun Phase 3 of restoring services. 

Mayor Judy Swanson says they’ve tried to keep up with the recycling the best they could so it would not end up in the municipal landfill.   A handful of volunteers have been coming in to bale the recycling items unsorted.  Volunteers would typically sort all recycling, but since COVID-19 have been co-mingling all product. 

“Through the COVID we’ve been putting everything together and baling it to keep our tonnage,” explains Swanson, “because the grant that we get from the provincial government is based on tonnage.” 

“So, rather than have it go to the landfill and to keep our tonnage up, they’ve graciously done the baling even though it’s all co-mingled.   

Moving forward, now into Phase 3 of restoring services, Swanson says it gets a bit tricky as the recycling program is volunteer based. 

“We’ve been trying to hold off as long as we can but we really want the volunteers to come back to work, but we need to have them come back safely.” 

“So, we’ve come up with an idea that I think will work really well,” Swanson explains, “and it fits in with Phase 3.” 

Swanson explains how the recent meeting went with the volunteers who keep our recycling organized. 

 

Keeping the volunteers safe is the biggest concern, and Council’s greatest focus, says Swanson.  “Right now we are in a very good position in our province and they’re willing to come back so we’ve gone through the rules of the COVID.” 

“I think everybody will do their best to keep everybody safe,” she says, “and this may change as we go along, but for right now we feel it’s the right time to get them back to the recycling program.” 

“Down the road if things changem we will then have to review it again.” 

Recycling pick-up has continued throughout the community over the past 3 months in order to keep participation in recycling consistent.  “We do not want people to stop recycling, we really don’t, and if we have to go back to co-mingling, we’ll do that.  But we’d really like to be able to sort as we get the best value for sorting.”