Despite all the talk about plastic shopping bags at City Hall lately, it turns out not too many of them head to the city’s landfill.
Some preliminary numbers from the waste and recycling audit being done by the city have been released. According to a memo from Assistant Director Of Utility Services Tammy MacCormack, which circulated at the last council meeting Monday, there was a total material collected over a four-day period of 2,235.06 kg. This was both garbage and recycling material.
Of that total, recyclable material made up 193.49 kg. Plastic shopping bags weighed in at 7.94 kg, which is less than one per cent of the total weight. That amounts to approximately 1,443 bags.
MacCormack’s memo stated that a “ban on single use plastics would not have a significant impact on the tonnages accepted at the WMF (waste management facility). However, it would make a difference with litter.
Council is still awaiting the final report on the waste and recycling audit, which is expected to provide further details on what is sent to the landfill.
