CIF Connections Blog

04Oct

Maintaining Efficiency & Effectiveness (E&E) with a payback of 2.2 years

Working through contract renewals while awaiting transition Glass breaker screen to remove glass from system early. The Region of Durham’s Material Recovery Facility (MRF) operating and maintenance contract was set to end, while at the same time the facility was struggling to accommodate an increased volume of inbound containers. The facility, which opened in 2007, was designed to manage a mix of materials that has changed significantly over the years. The need for additional labour to manage the increased volume of [...]

27Sep

Methodology in Northumberland County’s Segregated Glass Collection Pilot

The pilot took place along two 100-home routes within the town of Cobourg from September 25, 2018 to March 26, 2019. Prior to and during the project, households within the pilot area were delivered the required information to participate in the program, as well as a 16-gallon yellow glass collection box. To optimize collection efficiencies, residents were encouraged to only put the box out when it was at least half full. For 10 weeks out of the pilot duration, the [...]

13Sep

Understanding Flexible Packaging for Recycling

Examples of Flexible Packaging Formats (source: PAC) Flexible packaging has seen tremendous growth globally, with an annual growth rate of 3.8% within North America alone. It can be found in a vast array of shapes and sizes containing a wide array of products such as coffee, laundry detergent, baby food, cat litter, single-serve juices, motor oil, toothpaste and even more. Packages can be made with a single layer, a mono-material laminate (i.e. multiple layers from the same polymer) or the [...]

06Sep

Town of Hearst improves diversion and contain costs in a small municipal program

In 2016 the Town of Hearst was faced with the need to make a strategic change to address challenging waste management program realities: Recycling had plateaued at roughly 157 MT per year Equipment used to deliver the program was obsolete and costly to operate Long-time municipal recycling program delivery partners were striking out in new directions to improve their diversion rates The end date for their current garbage collection contract was fast approaching The Town of Hearst is located on [...]

28Aug

Curotto Cans: Technology Helps Guelph Cost-Effectively Improve Diversion

In an effort to boost diversion by 1,300 tonnes, the City of Guelph extended collection services to additional multi-residential properties. They elected to use Front End Loading (FEL) trucks equipped with Curottto Cans, in order to keep costs contained. What are Curotto Cans? Glad you asked… let’s dive in. A Curotto Can is a mounted automated hopper that fits on to the front forks of an FEL truck. An automated arm extends off the side of the hopper where it can grab [...]

23Aug

The City of Barrie’s Scenario Impact Analysis in Preparation for Transition

Recycling at the City of Barrie's waterfront After much anticipation, the Ministry of Environment, Conservation and Parks (MECP) has announced next steps related to Ontario’s Blue Box Program. The MECP has indicated that over the next six years, Stewardship Ontario (SO) will be required to develop a transition plan, in consultation with municipalities and other key stakeholders, that will see producers take over full control and funding of the Blue Box program by the end of 2025. While this announcement provides [...]

01Aug

Public Space Recycling – A Review of Better Practices

Public spaces have their own unique issues to manage when setting up collection programs. They can be a broad range of situations and the types and quantities of waste generated can vary significantly depending on who uses the space and how it is used. To assist municipalities with designing a successful program, the CIF has identified a number of ‘better practices’ related to public space recycling. These recommendations are based on research from more than 20 CIF-funded projects where municipalities [...]

25Jul

Time to Tender or Extend

The potential for the Blue Box Program to transition at any time to an Individual Producer Responsibility (IPR) system has put pressure on municipal staff and contractors to manage contracted operations significantly beyond their original terms. Repeated contract extensions have pushed contractors to operate their equipment well into the late stages of its lifespan at a time when equipment upgrades are required to address new market standards. In other instances, the terms and conditions that were set in contracts [...]

19Jul

City of Cornwall Shows It’s Possible to Establish a Beneficial Contract, Even in Uncertain Times

Photo courtesy of City of Cornwall The prospect of a new collection and processing contract is always going to be daunting. This process is compounded during times of uncertainty and impending regulatory change. Under Project 1075, the City of Cornwall (City) obtained assistance from the CIF to create a new collection and processing RFP, which represents the City’s single largest municipal contract. The goal of the RFP was to facilitate desired program development and at the same time, prepare the [...]

28Jun

Digital Communication: Can It Help Municipalities Change Resident Set out Behaviours?

Using digital media to get a message out is a relatively new practice for municipalities Over the last few years, groups have tested their hand at communicating through social media and other digital media platforms. What we’ve learned is that digital media, while allowing for faster circulation of our ‘calls to action’, still requires just as much planning and forethought, perhaps more so than traditional media. The audiences we’re speaking to have so many options when it comes to where to [...]