SWRC Blog: Fall Workshops

My favourite part of our Fall Workshops is when participants tell everyone what’s working for them and what is still troublesome. What I heard at the two workshops we’ve held so far, in North Battleford and Moose Jaw, is that people are feeling good about blue box recycling and progress is being made on closing some landfills and getting others up to speed. Problem areas include illegal dumping (this is a big one), lack of regulations or inconsistent application of regulations, the need for a household hazardous waste program (amen!), and plastics markets (especially styrofoam).

Actually, now that I think about it, my true favourite part is when, after someone presents a problem, someone else talks to them later and comes up with a possible solution. This happened in Moose Jaw when someone with soiled plastic talked to someone else who could potentially clean it and then they met with the plastics broker about the possibility of marketing the cleaned plastic – wow!

I learn from the presentations as well, from what other communities are doing and what their plans are, where the Ministry is at with their various programs and other things happening in the province. The other good part of the workshops is meeting new people and getting to know their corner of the world. I’m looking forward to the next one in Yorkton.

By Joanne Fedyk