Getting recyclable materials to market without breaking the bank is a common challenge faced by remote municipalities in Northern Ontario. Inadequate infrastructure and considerable geographic distances to recycling centres can quickly inflate shipping costs. The Municipality of Red Lake decided to overcome these challenges by making an investment in their recycling transport infrastructure with the help of a CIF grant.
Prior to the investment, the municipality shipped its recyclable materials to the Dryden Recycling Facility using a contracted straight-bodied garbage truck. In 2015, this required 107 trips and cost about $254 per tonne (including the tip fee charged at the Dryden facility).
In the winter of 2016, the municipality invested in a used UHE Ejection Transfer Trailer and other recycling transport equipment in order to better manage how they transported their recyclables. The investment also included upgrading their recycling building to make it easier to load the compaction trailer.
The total investment came to $318,707. The municipality is now able to transport their material directly to the Winnipeg recycling facility and has reduced their number of trips per year by two-thirds. Not only will this save the municipality about $57,000 per year, it will also reduce the amount of greenhouse gasses associated with transporting their recyclable materials to market.
Find out about this project: view the project report
Thinking of making a change?
Projects that generate savings remain a key priority of the CIF’s 2016 Request for Expressions of Interest (REOI). If you are considering a MRF upgrade we invite you to contact CIF staff to discuss your project ideas and how they might fit with the objectives of this year’s REOI.