Calgary Begins Recycling Program

Calgary recently became the last major city inUnfortunately, glass collected by the program so
Canada to begin offering a curbside recyclingfar is settling in the city landfill due to lack of a
program. Residents used to have to deliverbuyer. The cost of glass is just so cheap that it
recyclables to huge green bins that were placedjust isn't economical to recycle it. The process is
every few blocks and overflowed often, or theyenergy intensive, so it does not make a lot of
were forced to pay $10 a month for curbsidesense at the moment.
pickup.Considering if recycling certain products is worth
The city recently passed a $50 million plan, whichthe cost recycle is a major struggle many cities
also includes another $50 million in taxes on theface at the present moment. The problem is that
homeowners. The blue box recycling program ismost cities simply want to turn a profit instead of
part of the city's plan to divert more than 80%actually help the environment. Some say that if
of its waste from landfills by 2020. Even beforethe product is worth much less after it is recycled
the program began, Calgary was diverting aboutthat the process is not worth the cost, but they
20% of its trash away from landfills throughseem to forget that the point of recycling is to
private organizations. The program will makecut down on the waste the earth was deal with.
citizens of Calgary feel like they are helping theThat is the cost, the price to keep the planet
planet by conveniently recycling most householdclean.
materials.