Recycle yard concerns

Times Contributor       

 

Debate and complaints about the recycle yard have been floating through town at an impressive speed. There are many who feel that the facility is not being run up to snuff, and there are many others who think the new owners, Huxted Enterprises, need to be given a break since they only took over the facility on Jan. 1. 

On April 19 Colin Huxted addressed some of the concerns on the Huxted Enterprises Facebook page. 

“Huxted took over the recycle yard as of January 1st. With the harsh winter there was lots snow and ice build up. In December the town had not cleaned any snow out of the recycle facility. Leaving the yard very hard to manage. Now that the weather has warmed up the snow and ice is melting leaving the trash to show up! But we are getting it cleaned up. During the construction of the new building the town set the recycle facility up very un-user friendly. We at Huxted are just now able to start addressing all the safety concerns and are very aware of the difficulties it is to recycle at this time. Many products have not had a market and it has cost the residents time, energy and expense to gather these materials, bring them to the recycle yard, compact the materials, and transport them to Calgary. Therefore causing a greater carbon imprint then necessary. We’re always looking for markets to be able to recycle more materials so we can keep them out of the landfill. But it has to have a less carbon imprint to collect then it does to dispose of. 
 Strathmore is one of the last facilities to continue collecting these materials as it causes more of a carbon imprint then it saves. Many of these concerns will be addressed; we just need time to complete all the necessary changes now that the weather is cooperating. January was a very bad time for us to take over. Starting Wednesday there will be some huge changes to make the yard safer and more user friendly! And by the end of May we will be able to recycle many more products such as drywall lumber, and shingles! We are hoping to set up a compost! This transition has been very difficult because Huxted has not had full control of the recycle facility. But as of Wednesday we will have. Thank you! And please do not hesitate to call me personally if you have any questions or concerns. We are here to make a difference. Since 1994 Huxted has been subsidizing the transportation of the materials because we know it was the right thing to do. We will strive to make Strathmore the best recycling facility in Alberta! We are a family run company; we have four generations of Huxted’s in Strathmore. We take great pride in our community! The only reason we took on this endeavor was hoping to make a difference and hoping to help save our planet for the future children! Instead we have been taking criticism and bad publicity because we have not been in full control of the facility. Please be patient and I’m sure you will be impressed with the future changes. If you have an concerns please email them to me personally at colin@huxted.ca”

On April 25, the Town of Strathmore also posted an update to their website, stating:  “The Town has received numerous questions and concerns regarding recently proposed changes to materials received at the Recycle Yard, as well as the condition of the yard for the users.  Please be advised that the Town and H&H Huxted are currently reviewing these issues and will provide a joint update to residents shortly, once there has been an opportunity to investigate potential solutions. We appreciate your patience as we work to provide additional information, in an effort to offer the highest level of Recycling service possible.”

Another uproar started in the town when a sign was seen at the yard stating that as of May 1 the recycle yard will no longer be accepting any mixed plastics, symbols 1-7, or Styrofoam. 

On April 27 on Huxted Enterprises Facebook page they stated, ‘We would like everyone to know that as of now we will be accepting glass and plastics with the recycle symbol 1 – 7 again. We are working hard to make the recycle facility safer, cleaner, user friendly, this will take time so please bear with us.’

In 2013 a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the town and H&H Huxted. The 10-year arrangement with the town has Huxted’s taking care of the recycling yard services at least at its current level of quality, if not better. Previously the town had been losing money by operating the facility, approximately $180,000 per year, or $1.8 million over 10 years. The new arrangement will see the town save approximately $900,000 in that same time frame. 

For anyone who doesn’t want to go to the recycle yard itself, Huxted does offer curbside recycling as an option.