A sharp drop in the price for cardboard collected by Saskatchewan’s recyclers has resulted in tonnes of the material piling up across the province.
It’s also left recyclers in financial difficulty.
Rail City Industries in Melville said earlier this month that its shortfall could be $40,000 to $60,000.
The provincial government stepped in recently with bridge funding of $2 million to help public recyclers make it through.
Environment minister Nancy Heppner said agencies and communities are facing a tough time, and she praised them for storing material.
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“They’re doing everything they can to keep this out of the landfill,” she told reporters.
The money, from the Go Green Fund and the 2008-09 budget, will be distributed based on cardboard recycling volumes. The province is giving the money to three agencies that will in turn direct it to its recyclers:
- $960,000 to the Saskatchewan Association of Rehabilitation Centres, which has 18 members that recycle paper.
- $376,000 to the Association of Regional Waste Management Authorities of Saskatchewan, which represents communities that work together to manage waste.
- $664,000 to the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association, which will distribute it to operations that won’t receive funds through the other two groups.
SARC operations director Ken Homenick said the news was welcome relief but added the organization looks forward to a long-term strategy commonly called a multi-material recycling program. It would provide a province-wide recycling program for paper, plastic, tin and glass.
An advisory committee met in 2006 to discuss the potential for such a program and draft program principles. A final report was produced but no action taken.
Heppner said a program is definitely coming. Greg Ottenbreit, her legislative secretary, is working on the initiative, and it should be in place by next year.
“Our plan is that this will be the last bridge funding that is necessary,” she said.
Heppner pointed to the success of self-sustaining programs for oil, scrap tires and bottles and said the future program could be similar – those who create the waste will help pay to recycle it.
