Spaghetti dinners and bowling balls: the weird things ending up in Winnipeg recycling bins
All sorts of items that can't be recycled are ending up in blue bins in Winnipeg – things like an entire spaghetti dinner or a bowling ball. It’s a problem the city hopes will stop soon.
Winnipeg resident Owen is careful with every item he drops in his recycling bin.
"You can put in a plastic bottle, but don't leave water in it or liquid in it. Empty it out. Just follow the instructions," he said.
But it seems some Winnipeggers are having a bit of difficulty following the city's recycling guidelines.
At the City of Winnipeg's recycling plant, there is 49,000 metric tonnes of material processed each year. But a percentage of the stuff arriving at the plant shouldn't be.
"We do deal with a bit of contamination, which is items that are not acceptable within our program," said Mark Kinsley, the superintendent of waste diversion at the City of Winnipeg.
Those unacceptable items include a lot of things you might expect - plastic bags, Styrofoam, disposable coffee cups and foil takeout containers.
"So we're always encouraging people to get knowledgeable, get educated with the acceptable list in Winnipeg," Kinsley said.
People shouldn't need any education to know that items like tires, bowling balls, and pizzas aren't supposed to be recycled, but all of these items have been thrown in blue boxes.
"Finish the pizza, and then recycle your box," Kinsley said.
He said in 2019, as many as 4,000 dirty diapers were arriving at the recycling depot each week.
Today, that number has dropped significantly. It is down to about 500 a week on average.
"It's still up there because even one's too much," Kinsley said.
Owen believes, in order to reduce those numbers even further, one thing is critical.
"I guess it's education, education, education," he said.
The city has a full list of what you can and can't recycle on its website.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cisco reveals security breach, warns of state-sponsored spy campaign
State-sponsored actors targeted security devices used by governments around the world, according to technology firm Cisco Systems, which said the network devices are coveted intrusion points by spies.
I just don't get Taylor Swift
It's one thing to say you like Taylor Swift and her music, but don't blame CNN's AJ Willingham's when she says she just 'oesn't get' the global phenomenom.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Student anti-war protesters dig in as faculties condemn university leadership over calling police
Students protesting the Israel-Hamas war at at universities across U.S., some of whom have clashed with police in riot gear, dug in Saturday and vowed to keep their demonstrations going, while several school faculties condemned university presidents who have called in law enforcement to remove protesters.
'Do I ghost her again?': Quebec minister's office ignores questions on housing as a human right
The office of Quebec Housing Minister France-Élaine Duranceau prefers to openly ignore journalists' requests.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
opinion RFK Jr.'s presidential candidacy and its potential threat to Biden and Trump
Although it's still unclear how much damage Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s candidacy can do to either Joe Biden or Donald Trump this election, Washington political columnist Eric Ham says what is clear is both sides recognize the potential threat.