The Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) is asking residents to keep waste reduction in mind as the holiday season approaches.
“The excitement and generosity of the holiday season can often lead to a great deal of waste,” says General Manager of Engineering & Environmental Services Kevin Paterson.
“Each of us can make small changes like using reusable products for gift-giving, gifting an experience instead of a physical gift, and investing in rechargeable batteries. These little steps will drastically cut down the amount of waste being produced.”
The RDEK says a Recycle BC depot is a good option to dispose of recyclable materials, as they take a wider variety of products than the separate Yellow Bin system.
At-home recycling options look slightly different between communities across the East Kootenay.
“The curbside recycling in Cranbrook, Kimberley, and Fernie are part of the Recycle BC system – but they only accept a portion of the materials that are accepted in the depots at the transfer stations,” said RDEK officials.
“The curbside program in Invermere is currently not part of the Recycle BC program, so they only accept the same materials as the Yellow Bins.”
Transfer stations and landfills around the region will be at their busiest in the days around Christmas, so the RDEK is asking residents to plan ahead.
“While our contractors will be doing their best to keep up, however, if everyone tries to drop off garbage or recycling on Boxing Day the bins will fill faster than they can be serviced,” said Paterson.
“Please try to space out your visits to our facilities and have patience. If you arrive and bins are full, please take your materials with you and plan to come back another day.”
You can find a holiday recycling guide here.
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