A Moment with the Mayor: The three Rs

One service we don’t often think about is the solid waste stream we generate from our homes or businesses. The city operates a solid waste landfill that handles the solid waste generated by our city and area.

We continue to face increased building and construction costs as cells are added. Operating costs to properly manage the landfill are increasing. At the moment, we have no control over what closure costs will be in the future.

What can we do today? This is where the three Rs come in.

1. Reduce is the first of the three Rs. What is currently going into the landfill that could make its way elsewhere? For most of us, the garbage can is the first and last stop on the cleanup tour around the house. Before throwing something out, ask yourself, “Could someone use what I am throwing away?”
2. This is where reuse and recycle come in. How many items are truly garbage? Can we find another purpose or use for the recycling process? The blue bag is the first option to keep tin cans, paper, number 1 and 2 plastics, and cardboard from going to the landfill. Remember that shredded paper goes into your green bin as it can’t be processed with the other paper and it will decompose.
3. Reuse is another great option. This covers a huge range of items from clothing to furniture – the everyday items stuff that some might no longer have a use for. However, these treasures help support For the Interval Store and the Olive Tree, and keep these items out of the landfill and recirculate them back into use. These organizations are an excellent resource for items with a lot of wear left in them or in good repair. If things are truly broken or completely worn out and in disrepair, the landfill may be your best choice.

Another recycling area is used oil, filters, glycol, scrap metal, wood, electronics and paint or other toxic waste. The team at the landfill has signs to help you know where to place your items so they can be further recycled on or off-site at the landfill. To learn more about the Lloydminster Landfill, visit Lloydminster.ca/Landfill.

As technology continues to evolve, hopefully, sooner than later, we will see garbage move to becoming an energy stream rather than a landfill item.

Mayor Gerald S. Aalbers
City of Lloydminster