Tag Archives: Cortes Recyclables

Food, Waste

A third of North Americans throw out $3,000 of unused groceries every year.

Originally published on Talker

Editor’s note: While the topic is food waste, the following article may throw some light upon Recycle BC’s expectation that Cortes Island residents increase the volume of recyclables that go into curbside pick-up. There undoubtedly are some Cortesians who waste up to $63 of food a week (as is the case with our American neighbours cited in the following article), but there are probably also a significant number that waste little, if any, food.

3 months worth of garbage for two people – Photo by Roy L Hales

This is the amount of garbage one Cortes household of two produced in about 3 months. Do Cortesians, collectively, also throw out a significantly lower amount of recyclables than society as a whole? Does Recycle BC have unrealistic expectations of the volume of recyclables Cortes Island should produce?

The average American spends nearly $3,000 a year on unused groceries, according to new research.

Continue reading A third of North Americans throw out $3,000 of unused groceries every year. →
Waste

If recycling negotiations fail, Cortesians could pay another $43 per household

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Depending on the outcome of negotiations, many Cortes Island residents could end up paying another $43 for the garbage pick-up that they do not use. The problem is too many of us are taking our recyclables directly to the Cortes Island Waste Management Centre.

According to Wolfang Parada, Senior Manager of Engineering Services for the Strathcona Regional District (SRD), Cortes Island currently receives about $29,000 a year in incentives from Recycle BC. Unfortunately, a large number of Cortes residents do not use the curbside pick-up program. We may have the lowest volume per resident in the province.  Consequently, Cortes may lose its cash incentives.

Continue reading If recycling negotiations fail, Cortesians could pay another $43 per household →