Three hundred houses northeast of Vernon
are going blue. After a successful six month pilot project to get rural residents recycling, the North Okanagan Regional District has decided to make the Blue Bag Curbside Recycling Program permanent. In April, 300 homes were given the chance to have their recycling picked up in the blue bags they had been given right outside their door. The participating residents were in NORD‘s Electoral Area F, which covers the area past Springbend Road to the North, and Highway 97A to the east. Not every one was keen at first, but now “people are absolutely thrilled with it,” said NORD director Lorna Bissell.At their regular meeting on Wednesday NORD directors voted in favour of taking the project from trial to mainstay. The program will now officially begin Oct. 12, two weeks after the end of the pilot. Households will then be charged $1.58 per month as part of their utility bill for the service. In her report to directors, waste reduction co-ordinator Karmen Peace said the curbside program works because it collects 40 per cent more items than depot programs, it‘s convenient for residents, and it contributes to NORD‘s mandate to reduce landfill waste by 50 per cent.
In a survey among participants in the pilot project, 93 per cent said they support the program‘s presence. NORD director Herman Halvorson said he‘s happy with the results. “The feedback we‘ve got is that it was very successful. It was a good way of bringing it in and educating people.” Residents East of Enderby will also have a chance to try going blue. Their introductory recycling trial will begin Oct. 12. Just before that time those households will receive a Blue Bag Starter Kit containing a sample blue bag, a recycling calendar and a frequently asked questions memo.
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