Enhanced recycling is coming to Grand Manan island.
“For anybody on the mainland, this will be a little bit redundant, but for people on Grand Manan, this is a big thing for us,” said Mayor Bonnie Morse. “People have been looking for some recycling for a while.”
The island recycles corrugated cardboard and basic things, but will expand to things like consumer packaging, cereal boxes, hard plastics, among some other things. It won’t include things like soft plastics or plastic bags.
“We’re going to have pickup, bi-weekly pickup, which is also going to be a completely new thing for the island,” she said.
In November 2023, the New Brunswick provincial government transitioned to the Extended Producer Responsibility framework. It requires the producers to pay for the recycling programs which deal with their products.
Its full implementation took place in April 2024 and the program is run by Circular Materials. The province expected the program to reduce waste sent to the landfill by roughly 10,000 tonnes.
“We’re hoping to have the contract ready and signed, and we will do that on behalf of Circular Materials who will pay us to do it,” she said. “Then that will be delivered to Lawrence Station, where they pick it up for the rest of the area.”
Morse explained right now the program is voluntary for residents.
“It’s up to the individual if they want to do it,” she said. “But from the municipality standpoint, we’re really hoping that there is good uptake because there is a cost to moving our garbage, cost of trucking it off the island, and a cost of tipping fees when we take it to the landfill.”
A large blue bin will also be made available so if residents miss pick up, they can still properly dispose of their recyclable material.
The program is expected to save the island money, as well. Municipalities like most individuals dropping off material to landfill must pay tipping fees, which are typically calculated by tonne.
Coun. Susan Ballantye said it is too soon to say how much it might save the municipality.
“It depends entirely on the extent to which islanders participate,” she said.
Morse said the process involved a bit of logistics in terms of getting materials off the island and understanding the unique challenges faced by islanders, and she explained the first contract is short.
“I’m hopeful that it’s going to work out and this is going to be a good thing for the island,” she said.
Ballantyne said she expects the pilot to launch in May.
In the meantime, the local Rotary Club, Ballantyne explained, is running a contest in partnership with the Grand Manan Library to ask elementary school students to write a short essay or draw a poster explaining the benefits of recycling and some of the entries will be used to promote the new program.
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