Wet/Dry Waste Separation
The City of Moncton has been promoting the Wet/Dry Waste Separation program since it was implemented as a voluntary measure in 1999.
As a result of our community’s commitment to the environment, and in particular, recycling, it has been mandatory since October 1, 2006 for Moncton residents to separate their waste into blue and green transparent plastic bags. Green bags are for wet/compostable waste, and blue bags are for dry/recyclable waste. The participation rate for this sorting program is 99.9 per cent.
Our community’s participation in the wet/dry program is extending the life of the Westmorland-Albert landfill and dramatically increasing the amount of material being reused and recycled. In fact, more than 51 per cent of residential waste collected is recycled or composted.
In 2007, the City of Moncton’s mandatory wet/dry waste separation program helped the Westmorland-Albert Solid Waste Corporation recycle more than 11,000 metric tons of materials such as cardboard, paper, milk cartons, plastics, electronics, metals, and even old sneakers!
The two-stream program is simple: green bags for wet waste; blue bags for dry waste.
Wet = Green
If it’s sticky, gooey, yucky, mucky, or dirty, put it in the green bag. Wet waste includes all food items, soiled food wrappers, hygiene products, yard waste, tissues and paper towels, as well as any other soiled item that would contaminate the recyclables.Dry = Blue
If it’s dry, place it in the blue bag. Dry waste includes all items that are not wet or soiled. It also includes items that can be easily rinsed or wiped clean, recyclables and non-recyclables, all types of paper, cardboard, bottles, cans, etc.View the City of Moncton’s Waste Collection By-Law P-406.
View the Wet/Dry Guide as posted on the Westmorland-Albert Solid Waste Corporation's website.
Top Five Reasons to Sort Your Waste
1. It’s good for Moncton residents
Moncton taxpayers have one of the lowest collection costs per household in Canada. Moncton residents pay about $7 monthly for household collection while some other municipalities in Atlantic Canada pay over three times the amount. This is due mainly to the ease of use and operation of the program. Did you know that only six city employees and six wet/dry waste collection vehicles collect the waste for the entire City of Moncton? Each of these employees picks up an average of 10.7 metric tons—the equivalent of two elephants — of waste each night!
2. It’s good for the environment
Recycling cuts pollution and conserves natural resources and energy. Aluminum, steel, paper, plastics, and cardboard can be recycled indefinitely. It is not good if these materials end up in the landfill. Some take hundreds of years to decompose, and some never will. Recycling an aluminum can uses up to 95 per cent less energy than extracting it from new materials.
3. It’s good for business
Sales of recycled products in Canada bring in about $336 million a year. Producers can now buy most recycled material cheaper than new material. In some cases, demand for recycled material now exceeds supply. Canadian paper mills are importing about 2.2 million tons of recovered paper every year from the United States.
4. We’re running out of room
Municipalities across the continent are running out of land suitable for landfill. Expansion is costly and the huge price and social upheaval of creating a new landfill makes this choice a last resort. New technologies are evolving but require extensive study to determine if they are viable or affordable in the long term. Current diversion programs preserve valuable disposal space for waste that cannot be reused or recycled. Moncton’s wet/dry program recycles or composts 51 per cent of residential waste collected.
5. It just makes sense
Not only is recycling the right thing to do for our environment, it is clearly a sound economic investment for Moncton. Our community is worth the effort!