[RWin]

We got our blue bin today.

I'm looking forward to the convenience but wonder about the reality of the recycling program.

I can be lazy and just throw everything into the bin and someone else will sort it. Great - as long as I stick to the rules and only put in there what they'll accept. I can just picture people using it as a garbage bin.

Then once they collect all that stuff, what happens to it? I've been hearing that there really isn't much of a market for recyclables. Will it all actually get turned into something or will it end up in empty containers on a ship back to China?

So, on the surface at least, it seems like a good program. And I'm happy to pay $8 for it. But what will really happen with all our paper, plastic, glass, aluminum, etc?

[Wooster]

Calgary finally made it to 1992!!! wahoo!

[mersar]

A lot of the material will be processed fairly quickly, though some things they may just store until the market recovers (the market for recycling is very cyclic, as the largest buyer of bulk quantities of recycled product is China, mostly paper and plastic, and they tend to flip between where they buy quite a lot, but fortunately if you have space you could make a nice profit if you hold on). A lot of the material though from Calgary supposedly will be used by local companies, I recall hearing something about one of the major shingle manufacturers being the destination for a lot of the paper and the metal was destined for somewhere in western Canada as well.

[Rusty van Reddick]

I'm flummoxed about where to put my bin (we're supposed to get ours this week)- the website says you need 1' of clearance so I can't put it in the gate opening next to where our garbage cans are, can't put it in the alley because there is litterally zero room, can't put it in front because our garbage is picked up in the alley, doubt I can put it in the parking pad because the ground isn't level and that's several feet away from where garbage is picked up...

[youngregina]

cant put it in the bedroom because that's where my bed is.. argh. Seriously though if its just a bin that people pick up, then im sure whomever's offering the service wouldnt mind walking the extra foot or two to get it. If it's truck pick up, where a machine picks it up then maybe ask your neighbor if they wouldn't mind having it next to theirs.

[mersar]

It is an automated truck that does the pick up. Problem with putting it by the neighbors is it may be that only one of them gets picked up (similar to the situation we have here with our garbage, we ended up moving where we put our bin as half the time they wouldn't pick it up as they thought the neighbor was putting out more than what he was allowed as the bins were relatively close (about 5 feet apart). Whether the recycling pickup would be that picky is the question especially with the bins being city provided

[shreddog]

Calgary finally made it to 1992!!! wahoo!
While it can be argued that we should have done this sooner, remember that until now the city of Calgary has devoted the bulk of its "waste re-processing" funds to building possibly the BEST waste water treatment process in the world.

Since municipal revenue is fixed, I'm glad we focused on water first then made this leap to solids. Now that we have, I can't think of any city in NA that handles ALL ITS WASTES better than Calgary. Kudos to us!!! (Okay E town is still ahead of use wrt composting, but our water treatment is still better than theirs!)

[youngregina]

How-so is your water treatment the BEST? What regulations are in place and what process does the waste water of the city of Calgary go through?

[wmp.dll]

I live in the SW (Glamorgan specifically) and have not received my blue bin yet. I look forward to it though.

[shreddog]

How-so is your water treatment the BEST? What regulations are in place and what process does the waste water of the city of Calgary go through?
details are page 25 (http://www.ecojustice.ca/publications/reports/national-sewage-report-card-iii/attachment)
Highlights:
Only major city in the world with complete tertiary treatment of ALL waste water releases including full UV treatment of ALL waste water.
100 % complete seperation of sewage and storm system infrastructures.
Over 50% primary treatment on storm sewage system; Edmonton is the only other Canadian city to provide treatment on storm system outflows.
Calgary's newest treatment plant - Pine Creek - is considered the most advanced in the world with "double" tertiary treatment involving both UV and O3. (cost is pushing over 500 Million)
According to Ecojustice, Calgary and Edmonton (and Whislter) are the only cities in Canada that return waste water to the environment cleaner than when it was extracted.

BTW, Regina does has a good waste water treatment system, though it doesn't address storm runoff, and as of 2008, it's UV system has been running at less than 100% and it doesn't provide for O3 treatment.

[freeweed]

Serious question: what are people supposed to do with the crazy winds here? I've seen things much heavier than your average recycling bin blowing all over my neighbourhood. Unless I load the thing completely full, which is unlikely unless I leave it to collect for weeks (ugh) - I just don't produce 1/5th as much garbage as most people.

I'm so very looking forward to no-sort recycling - saw it in Oregon and said "FINALLY - someone figured out how to do recycling!". But I'm not sure if I'll have to tie a cinder block to my bin, or what.

[freeweed]

How-so is your water treatment the BEST? What regulations are in place and what process does the waste water of the city of Calgary go through?

Would you swim downstream of where your wastewater is dumped? Honest question, I have no idea where sewage is released in Regina.

[shreddog]

I don't mean to pick on Vancouver, but as an example to how far Calgary has gone towards processing ALL waste water, Vancouver still releases more untreatment human effluent into the ocean than Calgary's release of untreated RAIN water into the Bow. Think about that, Calgary releases a lower volume of untreated rain water into the environment than Vancouver does of shit water.

BTW, rain water in our cities carries all kinds of things ranging from oils and heavy metals from our cars to dog shit and fertilizars. Since Calgary is part of a semi-arid environment it has historically focused a lot of its energy - and cash - into making sure that the water we send to Sask is clean and useable!

[shreddog]

Would you swim downstream of where your wastewater is dumped? Honest question, I have no idea where sewage is released in Regina.
Screw that!! In 2006 at the official opening of the full on tertiary treatment process at the Bonnybrook plant, the head of Calgary Waste water services (can't remember his name) put a glass in the out flows and DRANK from it. I dare anyone anywhere else to try that.

BTW, he did say the water tasted okay but kinda stank. Tests showed that the "bad" things in the water were well below national limits (and the levels in the river prior to initial treatment) though some organics were a bit high, hence the smell/taste.

[The Chemist]

What's this about Calgary having the world's best water treatment and starting up a recycling project? I though Calgary was full of environment haters...


:D

[shreddog]

What's this about Calgary having the world's best water treatment and starting up a recycling project? I though Calgary was full of environment haters...


:D
Sorry, I'm gonna have to wait to respond to your post as I need to run over some bunnies and baby dear with my Hummer ... and spill a couple hundred barrels of oil into the Elbow.

BTW, Chemist, I'm curious as to how water treatment is handled in China. I followed it a bit in the late 90's and was surprised at how advanced some of it was. Any idea what Shangai does with the shit of 15+ Million people??

[Coldrsx]

I still cannot believe Calgary is SO behind with this... not to mention that Edmonton has (if i recall correctly) the most advanced recycling system in Canada or North America.

[RicoLance21]

I still cannot believe Calgary is SO behind with this... not to mention that Edmonton has (if i recall correctly) the most advanced recycling system in Canada or North America.

I had fun bragging about this too...

[shreddog]

I still cannot believe Calgary is SO behind with this... not to mention that Edmonton has (if i recall correctly) the most advanced recycling system in Canada or North America.
While E Town is still ahead of Cowtown wrt handling of solid waste, when are you guys going catch up to us regarding handling of your liquid waste!;)

Personally I find it funny as hell that the two cities that handle their waste outputs the best are in "redneck - I'll run my hummer over a cute bunny - Alberta" whereas in "GREEN" Vancouver/Monteal/Toronto they still pump raw shit into the environment.

Damn I love stereotypes!!!

[shreddog]

Also, I think the 'Chuck also has the most advanced municipal composting program in NA!

[devonb]

A lot of the material will be processed fairly quickly, though some things they may just store until the market recovers (the market for recycling is very cyclic, as the largest buyer of bulk quantities of recycled product is China, mostly paper and plastic, and they tend to flip between where they buy quite a lot, but fortunately if you have space you could make a nice profit if you hold on). A lot of the material though from Calgary supposedly will be used by local companies, I recall hearing something about one of the major shingle manufacturers being the destination for a lot of the paper and the metal was destined for somewhere in western Canada as well.

Interestingly, environmentalists are fairly split on the recycling programs in N.A. I was reading that some environmentalists feel we should be burying (essentially storing) plastics until a better process is developed. I guess the pollution from the recycling is pretty huge, not to mention shipping of the materials. There are companies here that recycle and supposedly do it with less pollution, but they can't pay the price that China has been offering.

[shreddog]

dp

[freeweed]

I assume Edmonton's recycling program is nothing like Sherwood Park's. I wouldn't call that the most advanced in anything, except maybe annoyance factor.

[frinkprof]

This is a long time coming. I used to catch grief from some friends and family members about not recycling absolutely all things that I could recycle. To this I would ask how someone without a vehicle can be expected to recycle things like cardboard and milk jugs if it requires dropping off these items at bins that aren't within walking distance, much less while carrying all these things. Nevermind of course the proverbial suburbanite idling their SUV as they drop off their recyclables into the bins.

Interesting to hear about the liquid waste treatment. I knew Calgary had a good system, but I didn't know it was that good.

[Bigtime]

Also, I think the 'Chuck also has the most advanced municipal composting program in NA!

So that explains the smell... ;)

[niwell]

Awesome! Is Calgary using the huge truck pick-up blue bins with lids and all? We have those In Toronto, and while they are great they can be a bit obtrusive on small lots. Ours just barely fits in the space between our house and the next one. I wouldn't worry too much about clearance for pickup, since they seem to pick everyones bins up regardless of how they are placed on the street. I guess someone walks ahead of the truch and orients them correctly.

As for for freeweed's question I've seen plenty of errant recycling bins on the rare occasion of strong winds here. The other day with 80km/hr gusts I saw one in the middle of Lansdown Ave (relatively major street) and cars and busses had to swerve around it. The thing would have done some pretty decent damage to any car that hit it. Interesting to see what happens in Calgary where strong winds are quite a bit more common.

[Wooster]

I believe as part of the stimulus request the City of Calgary was requesting money for a major waste to energy generator and other interesting initiatives. pg 14-15 http://www.calgarymayor.ca/files/pressreleases/2009/2009_economic_stimulus.pdf

I'm not sure why the city doesn't just emulate Edmonton's recycling system - if it's the best why not copy it? Is it relatively cost-efficient?

Calgary certainly does have a good reputation in waste and stormwater treatment. I appreciate being able to go in the bow river without getting a rash. It's system is a big reason why the UN bestowed Calgary as the world's "healthiest' city.

[MalcolmTucker]

It is cost-efficient if you have relatively high landfill costs, something Calgary does not have. Diverting waste in Calgary only saves future money, it does not save current money (unlike other systems which use private landfills, not sure what Edmonton uses).

The Waste Diversion Pilot Project said you could divert alot more waste with green bin composting. It is just incredibly expensive (an additional $13 bucks per household per month). The combined waste diversion cost would have been the equivalent of a 25% municipal tax increase on average. It was deemed a tad high especially with water rates increasing to pay for our awesome system (I still believe they build to such a high standard to close loop the system if the Bow starts to go somewhat dry for some months of the year)

Toronto paid for their system with a punitive garbage pricing scheme, and the savings of landfill costs.

[atlas_inc]

In England they call them "Wheely-Bins". hahahaahahaa

[hilman]

I assume Edmonton's recycling program is nothing like Sherwood Park's. I wouldn't call that the most advanced in anything, except maybe annoyance factor.

Sherwood Parks "recycling" program picks up your garbage, recycling and organic/compost waste and sends it to the Edmonton Waste Management Centre. This facility contains the landfill, North Americas largest composting facility, Global Electric and Electronic Processing Inc. (GEEP) recycling facility, landfill gas recovery and a biofuels facility currently being constructed to use the materials not recycled/composted and make it into ethanol. Currently the city diverts around 60% of household waste from the landfill with approximately 90% being diverted once the biofuel facility is operational.

http://www.edmonton.ca/for_residents/Environment/City_recycle_factsheet(web).pdf

http://www.edmonton.ca/for_residents/garbage_recycling/edmonton-waste-management-centre.aspx

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmonton_Composting_Facility



Regards

[entheosfog]

So is this only for single family homes then? Last I'd heard apartments, condos and other multi-unit dwellings are not part of the blue bin thing yet in Calgary...?

[entheosfog]

This is a long time coming. I used to catch grief from some friends and family members about not recycling absolutely all things that I could recycle. To this I would ask how someone without a vehicle can be expected to recycle things like cardboard and milk jugs if it requires dropping off these items at bins that aren't within walking distance, much less while carrying all these things. Nevermind of course the proverbial suburbanite idling their SUV as they drop off their recyclables into the bins.



Maybe time for an anti-idling by-law as well? ;)

[freeweed]

So is this only for single family homes then? Last I'd heard apartments, condos and other multi-unit dwellings are not part of the blue bin thing yet in Calgary...?

No-sort recycling presents unique challenges in a multifamily situation. It's coming, though.

Besides, Calgary is mostly single family sprawl, so this gets the bigger piece of the pie first. :tup:

[lubicon]

So is this only for single family homes then? Last I'd heard apartments, condos and other multi-unit dwellings are not part of the blue bin thing yet in Calgary...?

The City should contract this out to private companies (the multi family part). They got royally screwed over by the City with the new recycling program and this would be a win-win situation.

[WeavedWeb]

Maybe time for an anti-idling by-law as well? ;)

Is it just me, or does it not take more energy to start a car rather than idle it for a minute or two?

[Doug]

It is cost-efficient if you have relatively high landfill costs, something Calgary does not have. Diverting waste in Calgary only saves future money, it does not save current money (unlike other systems which use private landfills, not sure what Edmonton uses).

The Waste Diversion Pilot Project said you could divert alot more waste with green bin composting. It is just incredibly expensive (an additional $13 bucks per household per month). The combined waste diversion cost would have been the equivalent of a 25% municipal tax increase on average. It was deemed a tad high especially with water rates increasing to pay for our awesome system (I still believe they build to such a high standard to close loop the system if the Bow starts to go somewhat dry for some months of the year)

Toronto paid for their system with a punitive garbage pricing scheme, and the savings of landfill costs.

That is why recycling hasn't been a priority in Calgary. Combined, the three exisiting city owned landfills (Spy Hill, East Calgary and Shepard) have several hundred years of capacity. Cities like Edmonton and Toronto were driven to recycling much earlier because their landfills reached capacity and they were unable to develop new landfills because they are landlocked by surrounding municipalities.

[freeweed]

Is it just me, or does it not take more energy to start a car rather than idle it for a minute or two?

It's just you. I think it's a few seconds at most on modern cars although I don't have exact figures at hand.

I don't think anti-idling bylaws are aimed at 30 second idlers, anyway. Mostly it's the people who sit for 15 minutes waiting on a corner to pick someone up. Or leave a running vehicle unattended outside of a store - always a brilliant move.

[You Need A Thneed]

It's just you. I think it's a few seconds at most on modern cars although I don't have exact figures at hand.

I'm pretty sure it's just a few seconds. Maybe even less than that.

Same with light bulbs - some people say that leaving them on uses less power if you are only going to turn it off for a minute. It's not true, the amount of power they use at startup is only about 1/2 second worth of the power it normally uses.

[Rusty van Reddick]

So is this only for single family homes then? Last I'd heard apartments, condos and other multi-unit dwellings are not part of the blue bin thing yet in Calgary...?

Not exactly- up to fourplexes.

Agree that the private firms should get the multifamily accounts. win-win.

[240glt]

My apartment in Vancouver had bins right in the underground. It made recycling so easy.

I was shocked when I moved to Calgary and my condo not only did not have recycling facilities, but the condo board was against looking into getting recycling services for the building. Calgary's solid waste disposal is clear out of the 60's. Hopfully that is changing. Curbside is a no-brainer IMO. I've had it ever since I bought the house in Edmonton and I love it.

[93JC]

Maybe someone here knows: what happens if my blue bin is stolen? Who foots the bill for its replacement? I can't keep the thing chained to a fence or something, the truck needs to be able to pick it up. I fail to see how it should be my problem if, for all intents and purposes The City's blue bin, gets stolen.

The brochure that came with my bin says in the event of a missing or stolen bin I should call 311. That's it.

[entheosfog]

My apartment in Vancouver had bins right in the underground. It made recycling so easy.


yeah that's what I got in my building, too, although I still let it pile up inside my suite because I procrastinate taking it downstairs!

[Rusty van Reddick]

Why are Edmonton and Vancouver forumers so fascinated by this thread?

[Jimby]

Why are Edmonton and Vancouver forumers so fascinated by this thread?

They secretly love Calgarians and their garbage.

[MarkL]

Maybe this will stop the homeless woman who rips open all of the garbage bags in my neighbourhood (Bankview) looking for bottles and cans, which then means that the garbage guys don't remove the bags (if they're ripped, they're not supposed to pick them up). It's wonderful having open bags of garbage sitting out all week, especially when it's windy. :yuck:

Still haven't received my bin either.

[jeffwhit]

^^Where do you live? it's a phased roll-out, by neighbourhood, alphabetically. (a weird way to do it, to be certain) In Sunnyside we don't get out bins until the end of May.

[h0twired]

^^Where do you live? it's a phased roll-out, by neighbourhood, alphabetically. (a weird way to do it, to be certain) In Sunnyside we don't get out bins until the end of May.

It's not alphabetical.

Auburn Bay for example is getting theirs at the middle of May.

[S_B_Russell]

Why are Edmonton and Vancouver forumers so fascinated by this thread?

Because this topic makes us reminisce about the early 90s. Ahhh... cheap gas, grunge rock, Crystal Pepsi, plaid shirts. The good ol'days ;)

[240glt]

Why are Edmonton and Vancouver forumers so fascinated by this thread?

Because we love Calgarian trash ?

I've lived in both those cities, plus Calgary, and the latter was by far the furthest behind in recycling services. As noted, it was pretty apalling when I moved there in '00 to see how far behind such a rich city was in dealing with recyclable waste.

[freeweed]

It's not alphabetical.

Auburn Bay for example is getting theirs at the middle of May.

I keep hearing that it's being rolled out by quadrant. Maybe it's alphabetical WITHIN quadrants, but certainly not across the entire city.

[freeweed]

As noted, it was pretty apalling when I moved there in '00 to see how far behind such a rich city was in dealing with recyclable waste.

And it was pretty appalling in the mid 1980s when I realized that Calgary (and Edmonton) had recycling/bottle depots that took back seemingly EVERYTHING - pop bottles, milk jugs, you name it.

In most of the country at the time you could return your empty beer cans and bottles for recycling, and that was it. Certain specialty pop bottlers would also take back bottles but by and large it all went into the landfill. Once plastic bottles became the norm, it ALL got chucked. It took most of Canada 10-15-20 years to catch up to Alberta in that regard - and most of the country still doesn't give any sort of deposit back for non-beer containers.

Speaking of who's far behind now, which other Canadian cities do no-sort recycling?

Edit: small word addition to avoid even more people trying to start a flamewar over casual conversation.

[mersar]

I keep hearing that it's being rolled out by quadrant. Maybe it's alphabetical WITHIN quadrants, but certainly not across the entire city.

I believe that is the case. I know for sure it is by quadrant.

[lubicon]

The City's website has a link to the program explaining pretty much everything. It is being rolled out by quadrant, but the service does not start as soon as you receive your bin. I believe I am supposed to receive mine between April 27 and May 10 but service does not start until June.

Also, the City says each bin will have a serial number and you are supposed to write the serial number and your address on the bin. That seems to be how they will track them if they are lost, stolen etc. Note that they are assigned to a house, not a homeowner so if you move you are supposed to leave the bin behind for the next person.

[WhipperSnapper]

And it was pretty appalling in the mid 1980s when I realized that Calgary (and Edmonton) had recycling/bottle depots that took back EVERYTHING - pop bottles, milk jugs, you name it.


Toronto had curb side recycling by the mid 80s so there really wasn't a need for depots anymore. You can go on about how Calgary is the greatest in this and that however, as far as household recycling goes, it is well behind the times.

[240glt]

And it was pretty appalling in the mid 1980s when I realized that Calgary (and Edmonton) had recycling/bottle depots that took back EVERYTHING - pop bottles, milk jugs, you name it.

So you're telling me that for profit recyclers accepted, for free, items that did not require a deposit and had no facilities for reworking the product locally ? I'd sure like to hear more, but am inclinded to call BS on that. Feel free to enlighten me.

Y'know freeweed, you don't need to take anything that isn't fawning praise of your city as some sort of direct insult. You need some thicker skin.

For the record, in the 80's my hometown of Veron BC, you could recycle beer and pop cans and bottles, anything glass, newsprint & all wood fibre products and metal cans. Plastic recycling facilities didn't really exist yet.

[freeweed]

Toronto had curb side recycling by the mid 80s so there really wasn't a need for depots anymore. You can go on about how Calgary is the greatest in this and that however, as far as household recycling goes, it is well behind the times.

Who said anything about Calgary being the greatest in anything? What exactly are you on about? :koko:

[freeweed]

So you're telling me that for profit recyclers accepted, for free, items that did not require a deposit and had no facilities for reworking the product locally ? I'd sure like to hear more, but am inclinded to call BS on that. Feel free to enlighten me.

I'm telling you that they took back a hell of a lot more, by orders of magnitude, than many other places. Sorry, I missed out on the word "seemingly" when I said "everything". Wow, a tiny hyperbole and you're making a capital case out of it. It's a comment on a bloody message board. Do you get all hot and bothered when you see spelling mistakes in Wikipedia, too?


Y'know freeweed, you don't need to take anything that isn't fawning praise of your city as some sort of direct insult. You need some thicker skin.

Uh, what?? Seriously - huh? I point out that Alberta had better recycling facilities in the 1980s than many other places, and suddenly I'm thinking Calgary is being insulted? Where the hell did you get that from?

Yeesh, do people like you TRY to create an argument every single time you comment, or what? Are you seriously this much of an ass in real life?

Y'know, you don't need to take any remotely positive comment about Calgary (odd, as I was commenting about Alberta, but you do manage to spin it about Calgary every single time) as some sort of direct insult. You need some thicker skin.

Honestly - it's impossible to ever say anything good about this place without some jackass coming in and screaming that we're defensive. Grow up, or please ignore these threads.

[MalcolmTucker]

When my family moved to Red Deer in '88 we had curbside recycling. Plastics and all. Moving to Calgary in '95 and having to chuck plastics again was a shock.

We still did recycle at the depots everything that they took. The city did end up diverting a fair amount of waste for pretty low cost, which for Calgary was a primary concern.

[240glt]

Calm down Freeweed.

Maybe you need to take the rest of the day off.

[freeweed]

Calm down Freeweed.

Maybe you need to take the rest of the day off.

And maybe you need to stop commenting in Calgary-named threads, if you're incapable of having civil discourse.

No, I will not calm down when habitual trolls come in and try to hijack a thread.

Speaking of Calgary's recycling program (I know, the nerve of talking about the thread subject) - is the city ever going to implement bag limits for garbage? I know most other places have done something similar to "encourage compliance", so to speak.

[atlas_inc]

We got our Wheely-Bins yesterday. Man these things are huge! It'll take me a month to fill it up!

[240glt]

^^ LOL. So, what because I once lived in Calgary, but don't anymore I am not allowed to comment on things going no there ? If anyone has an issue having civil discourse, it is you.

So now not heaping praise on your town = trolling ? That's prety sad.

I got a baggie of BC bud I'd be glad to share if you need help lowering your blood pressure.

[freeweed]

^^ LOL. So, what because I once lived in Calgary, but don't anymore I am not allowed to comment on things going no there ? If anyone has an issue having civil discourse, it is you.

So now not heaping praise on your town = trolling ? That's prety sad.

I got a baggie of BC bud I'd be glad to share if you need help lowering your blood pressure.

Busy server swallowed my response. Here's a lesson on trolling:

1. I disagree with you, and here's why - not trolling.

2. Hey, here's something weird, let's discuss - not trolling.

3. Y'know, you don't need to take anything that isn't fawning praise of your city as some sort of direct insult. You need some thicker skin.- trolling.

Where did I see some sort of insult, precisely? I point out positive things that I observed about Alberta's recycling programs in the 1980s and I'm getting upset about a lack of fawning praise?

Seriously dude, you trot out this tired canard every single time you get involved in any discussion about Calgary. You've been called on it by many people, and it's getting really annoying. Comment on Calgary all you want, and (gasp!) by all means point out its shortcomings. But the minute someone says something positive about Calgary, and your first response is Y'know, you don't need to take anything that isn't fawning praise of your city as some sort of direct insult. You need some thicker skin."?

I'll call you on your BS every time.

The funnier part of course is that I was mentioning Alberta's recycling. But don't let it stop you, it never has before.

[freeweed]

Why are Edmonton and Vancouver forumers so fascinated by this thread?

I assume this was rhetorical. :hmmm:

[240glt]

Now you're just being rude and combatative. I'd love to carry this on, it's pretty comical to watch you try & defend your ridiculous and self-riteous assertions and to make groundless accusations but instead I think I will take the high road and just add you to my ignore list.

Buh-bye, fellow troll.

[lubicon]

And maybe you need to stop commenting in Calgary-named threads, if you're incapable of having civil discourse.

No, I will not calm down when habitual trolls come in and try to hijack a thread.

Speaking of Calgary's recycling program (I know, the nerve of talking about the thread subject) - is the city ever going to implement bag limits for garbage? I know most other places have done something similar to "encourage compliance", so to speak.

I hope not. It won't work IMHO.

[freeweed]

I hope not. It won't work IMHO.

For Calgary, or you're just not a fan of the idea in general? Seems like just about everywhere went through those discussions over the past 10-20 years, and many places implemented it - how well has it worked?

I know I'd be looking forward to making a tidy profit off my extra tags as we average only about one bag a week as it is, and that's before recycling anything... :D

[MalcolmTucker]

We have a bag limit of 5 bags in my recollection. If we were to ever implement organics pick up as well, I could see tag a bag with two bags a week as the standard level. It possibly would help defray the cost of the organics program.

[mersar]

We have a bag limit of 5 bags in my recollection. If we were to ever implement organics pick up as well, I could see tag a bag with two bags a week as the standard level. It possibly would help defray the cost of the organics program.

Calgary city council tossed out the idea of a bag limit for at least a year until after the curbside recycling is in effect from what I recall (and what cbc has posted (http://www.cbc.ca/canada/calgary/story/2008/10/22/garbage-fees-calgary.html?ref=rss)) during the budget talks in late 2008.

That said, we've had a bag limit in Cochrane for over a decade now, recently dropped from 3 to 2 bags (or equivalent sized garbage cans), with extra bags available for $3 each. We still have no curbside pickup for recyclig, though I suspect theres a chance it may be proposed here before the next election as our current recycling depot which has been in operation for only a few years now is currently running at 5 times its design capacity so its either build new depots or do curbside, which I suspect may be easier to get in on now that Calgary is doing it.

[lubicon]

For Calgary, or you're just not a fan of the idea in general? Seems like just about everywhere went through those discussions over the past 10-20 years, and many places implemented it - how well has it worked?

I know I'd be looking forward to making a tidy profit off my extra tags as we average only about one bag a week as it is, and that's before recycling anything... :D

I'm just not a fan in general. It could lead to either people leaving their extra bags on their neighbor's driveway, or dumping it into the nearest dumpster at the local store. Tags would just lead people to either sell theirs to neighbors or give them away. I don't see how the net result would result in any less garbage going into the landfills so al you end up with is more bureaucracy (sp?) and higherst cost for no gain.

Or people would just shift from regular sized garbage bags to oversized ones like I use from Costco.

[jeffwhit]

I keep hearing that it's being rolled out by quadrant. Maybe it's alphabetical WITHIN quadrants, but certainly not across the entire city.

Yeah, I only looked at the NW, but it was definitely completely alphabetical.

[frinkprof]

Speaking of Calgary's recycling program (I know, the nerve of talking about the thread subject)
Really Freeweed? That's sure rich coming from you.

(Not intended as a flame. I'm just poking fun. Although you are consistently way off topic in the Calgary Construction Thread, at least you've admitted to it in the past. You're usually a voice of reason, so I often appreciate your off-topicness)

[freeweed]

Hey, self-effacing humour is still funny, ain't it? :D

[You Need A Thneed]

Regarding curbside recycling programs in the past:

We discussed it briefly in one of my college classes (I can't remember why it came up, as the class had nothing to do with the topic), but some of the early programs were HUGE money-losing endevors - not that recycling necessarily need to be a money making venture - but they were also quite limited in effectiveness as there was no market for the collected goods.

After hearing the stats I heard (I can't remember what they were any more), I was glad that Calgary did not have a curbside pickup system at the time, as programs back in the (early?) 90s were generally not much more than green-washing wastefulness.

I'm glad to see that recycling has become a more profitable venture. I do recycle some things, but I don't have space to store much recycling until such time as I can take it all to a depot. I know that my household will start recycling a lot more materials when the blue bin program starts. Right now, I really only do milk jugs - and pop bottles of course.

Of course, many people forget about the other 2 "R's" out of the three Rs, and unfortunately, they are the most important ones. "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" is listed in that order for a reason - its a list starting from most important to least important. It ticks me off when products are grossly overpackaged, and unfortunately, that's more often than not.

Frankly, I can do a lot more in all three areas then I currently do.

[entheosfog]

Why are Edmonton and Vancouver forumers so fascinated by this thread?

umm because I used to live in Calgary most of my life, therefore I still have an interest of what goes on in the city.

[entheosfog]

I assume this was rhetorical. :hmmm:

It garnered a response...

[Rusty van Reddick]

umm because I used to live in Calgary most of my life, therefore I still have an interest of what goes on in the city.

Yeah, and didn't you post in a Vancouver thread about how THRILLED you were to escape Calgary?

[freeweed]

Yeah, and didn't you post in a Vancouver thread about how THRILLED you were to escape Calgary?

It must have been the poor recycling program. And the fact that Calgary doesn't dump enough raw sewage into the ocean for his tastes. *cymbal crash*

[entheosfog]

Yeah, and didn't you post in a Vancouver thread about how THRILLED you were to escape Calgary?

yikes, you pay way too close attention to my posts. That's creepy. Yes I am happy I don't live in Calgary but that doesn't mean I don't have an interest or I'm curious still! Why do you care so much anyway? I wasn't bringing anything negative to the discussion or trying to start anything. Sorry, I'll check the rules on where I can and cannot post from now on. Sheesh.

[entheosfog]

It must have been the poor recycling program. And the fact that Calgary doesn't dump enough raw sewage into the ocean for his tastes. *cymbal crash*

yup that's it. *sigh*

[Ramsayfarian]

I can really feel the love in this thread. With regards to the topic, Penn & Teller did a interesting piece on recycling.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Sp8PzgY7XA

Currently I only recycle beer cans and bottles. I'm doing my part for the environment by not having kids. My carbon footprint ends soon after I kick the bucket.

[srperrycgy]

I'm doing my part for the environment by not having kids.

I'm in complete agreement. :tup:

[craneSpotter]

I don't mean to pick on Vancouver, but as an example to how far Calgary has gone towards processing ALL waste water, Vancouver still releases more untreatment human effluent into the ocean than Calgary's release of untreated RAIN water into the Bow. Think about that, Calgary releases a lower volume of untreated rain water into the environment than Vancouver does of shit water.

BTW, rain water in our cities carries all kinds of things ranging from oils and heavy metals from our cars to dog shit and fertilizars. Since Calgary is part of a semi-arid environment it has historically focused a lot of its energy - and cash - into making sure that the water we send to Sask is clean and useable!

Well, to be fair, Calgary HAS to treat their wastewater to higher standards than most other cities.

Why? Because the Bow is a relatively small river (volume) and has a limited ability to assimilate wastewater plant effluent without seriously reducing downstream water quality. So the city had to set very high treament standards to meet environmental requirements (for concentrations). But kudos! They did a good job of what they had to do.

[freeweed]

Well, to be fair, Calgary HAS to treat their wastewater to higher standards than most other cities.

Why? Because the Bow is a relatively small river (volume) and has a limited ability to assimilate wastewater plant effluent without seriously reducing downstream water quality. So the city had to set very high treament standards to meet environmental requirements (for concentrations). But kudos! They did a good job of what they had to do.

Err.. while other cities just piss off their downstream neighbours.

There's having to do something, and then there's doing extra to be nice. Believe me, Calgary could do a lot less treatment and just tell smaller centres downstream to sod off - it's how most large Canadian cities behave. Don't kid yourself, volume or not, downstream of many Canadian cities is highly unpleasant.

Unless there's some Alberta-specific legislation that requires it, in which case kudos to the province.

[Jimby]

Strathmore is putting untreated waste in to the Bow. To be allowed to do that, they had to agree to supply bottled water for the Siksika Nation downstream.

[mersar]

Strathmore is putting untreated waste in to the Bow. To be allowed to do that, they had to agree to supply bottled water for the Siksika Nation downstream.

Yeah, I'd heard of that before.

Whereas in Cochrane we were actively discouraged from even putting treated wastewater into the Bow by the city, instead we now pipe it all into Calgary and let them treat it. On the upside, we never have to worry about building a new treatment plant, rather just upgrading the pipe and pump stations.

[Wooster]

^ Bunch of freeloaders. :cool:

[Doug]

Err.. while other cities just piss off their downstream neighbours.

There's having to do something, and then there's doing extra to be nice. Believe me, Calgary could do a lot less treatment and just tell smaller centres downstream to sod off - it's how most large Canadian cities behave. Don't kid yourself, volume or not, downstream of many Canadian cities is highly unpleasant.

Unless there's some Alberta-specific legislation that requires it, in which case kudos to the province.

Calgary only began tertiary treatment in 1985. Before that it ONLY had the secondary treatment that many Canadian cities still don't have. Prior to tertiary treatment, the Bow would suffer some algae blooms in the late summer and fall when water temperature are higher and water flow low. Downstream communities such as Medicine Hat and Saskatoon did complain. The impact of tertiary treatment on the river was immediate. The next big step in water quality came in the mid 90's when primary treatment of storm water began. Clarity has improved considerably since then and continues to improve.

[Wooster]

One water quality issue that needs to be cleared up is the Stampede's back of house operations. There's all sorts of horse shit that ends up mucking up the Elbow and results in high e coli counts downstream.

[Yume-sama]

Just got mine today. I got more excited than I maybe should have :haha:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3452/3402765320_d7291e29c6_b.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3569/3401959389_048d4a8ba7_b.jpg

[Stang]

Just got mine today. I got more excited than I maybe should have :haha:

I was driving down Richmond Road this morning and noticed loads of these things sitting at the ends of people's sidewalks. They must have just been delivered. Good to see.

[jeffwhit]

^^ I'm going to THRILLED when mine arrives. The system they are providing totally appeals to my laze.

[Rusty van Reddick]

I was driving down Richmond Road this morning and noticed loads of these things sitting at the ends of people's sidewalks. They must have just been delivered. Good to see.

I'm getting nervous- city website says Bankview by April 3 but it seems they've all been dropped off in Connaught as of several days ago.

[freeweed]

I'm trying to figure out how this thing is going to be wheeled through an icy slush wasteland. Bags are easy enough to carry and drop reasonably close to the street/lane, but here's hoping this bin isn't quite as large and cumbersome as I fear.

[mersar]

Well on the upside at least they went with a model with fairly large wheels which should make it a bit easier, especially compared to the style that I've seen other cities use:

http://www.hardwarestore.com/media/product/286435_front200.jpg

[shreddog]

Strathmore is putting untreated waste in to the Bow. To be allowed to do that, they had to agree to supply bottled water for the Siksika Nation downstream.
NO!!!!

Strathmore treats it's sewage better than just about every city in Canada. It recently completed a full upgrade to its treatment facility to provide for complete secondary treatment of all effluent with enough capacity to support a town of 50K people (we can debate the value of that decision elsewhere).

The issue was not that it ever wanted to release raw sewage (Alberta Environment would never allow that - Alberta has the strictest water/effluent release laws in Canada) but rather where in the Bow water system the town was going to release its treated effluent. The town initiallly wanted to have the outflow in a side channel of the river somewhat close to intakes near the reserve - not the best original decision. Eventually, the outflow was moved into a main channel of the river far from any intakes and there has been no problems ever since.

Again, Alberta has the strictest laws in Canada regarding the treatment and release of waste water. Raw sewage release would never be allowed for Strathmore.

BTW, I am not aware of any situation with the town providing bottle water - do you have a link as I am curious??

[shreddog]

Well, to be fair, Calgary HAS to treat their wastewater to higher standards than most other cities.

Why? Because the Bow is a relatively small river (volume) and has a limited ability to assimilate wastewater plant effluent without seriously reducing downstream water quality. So the city had to set very high treament standards to meet environmental requirements (for concentrations). But kudos! They did a good job of what they had to do.
While there is some truth to your statement - Alberta DOES have the strictest environmental laws in Canada regarding treatment and release of waste water - I suggest you re-read Kyle's post (http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showpost.php?p=4159013&postcount=28) as he summed it up nicely.

Cities have fixed budgets. As such, a city that has access to a large body of water but little access to land will focus on reducing its solid wastes first. Correspondingly, a city with access to large areas of land to dispose of solid waste but no where to hide its liquid wastes will focus on addressing liquid waste first. Calgary is obviously in the latter position.

What I find interesting though is cities like Vancouver and Toronto (for example) focused on reducing and properly handling of their solid waste earlier than Calgary while minimizing their effort to handle their liquid waste. Now that Calgary handles it solid waste as good as those two, when are Vancouver or Toronto going to get their act together and move out of the 1900's regarding the proper handling of their sewage???

Vancouver is planning to have full secondary treatment of all human waste water by 2030. Something Calgary had in 1985. Toronto has no plans to have full secondary treatment of all waste water.

What the hell is the excuse for these two cities to continue to use Mother Nature as their toilet?????

The real sad thing is that Toronto and Vancouver are significanly better in handling their waste than many other cities in Canada. It really is a shame what most cities pump into their environment!

[Stang]

I'm getting nervous- city website says Bankview by April 3 but it seems they've all been dropped off in Connaught as of several days ago.

These ones were on the Glendale side of Richmond Road. The PDF on the city site lists Bankview as March 23-April 5th now, so you've still got time. :)

[Jimby]

NO!!!!

Strathmore treats it's sewage better than just about every city in Canada. It recently completed a full upgrade to its treatment facility to provide for complete secondary treatment of all effluent with enough capacity to support a town of 50K people (we can debate the value of that decision elsewhere).

The issue was not that it ever wanted to release raw sewage (Alberta Environment would never allow that - Alberta has the strictest water/effluent release laws in Canada) but rather where in the Bow water system the town was going to release its treated effluent. The town initiallly wanted to have the outflow in a side channel of the river somewhat close to intakes near the reserve - not the best original decision. Eventually, the outflow was moved into a main channel of the river far from any intakes and there has been no problems ever since.

Again, Alberta has the strictest laws in Canada regarding the treatment and release of waste water. Raw sewage release would never be allowed for Strathmore.

BTW, I am not aware of any situation with the town providing bottle water - do you have a link as I am curious??

That is good news, I'm glad to be corrected. I guess treated effluent sounds like sewage to me. I remember reading in the Herald that Strathmore had to supply the reserve with bottled water.
Maybe it was a temporary thing?

[mersar]

Seems the city has also launched a TV ad campaign promoting the blue cart program, just saw it on Global a few minutes ago. They also have the ads linked off the BlueCart web site (http://www.calgary.ca/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_0_780_237_0_43/http%3B/content.calgary.ca/CCA/City+Hall/Business+Units/Waste+and+Recycling+Services/Recycling+Information/Residential+Services/Blue+Cart+Recycling/Blue+Cart+Recycling+FAQ.htm?f=FromFlashPage) (on the right side)