Island Waste Management Corporation gears up for busy season

The garbage industry in Prince Edward Island is gearing up for its most wonderful time of year, or at least its busiest.

The post-Christmas cleanup is underway with garbage cans full and overflowing at the curb.

Floyd Gaudet, with Island Waste Management Corporation, says so many gifts come packed in plastic and Styrofoam, all that packaging ends up with them.

“It's the time of year where people are giving and electronics have a lot of foam and Styrofoam, and different things like that, it's pretty consistent from year to year,” he said.

Island Waste Management Corporation says it sees up to 40 per cent more garbage during pickups right after Christmas.

“We see a lot of cardboard, due to packaging, and beverage containers, there's a rise in beverage containers also,” Gaudet said.

The company doesn’t have to bring in extra staff to deal with the increase, but officials say trucks are fuller.

27,000 tonnes a year collected

“The drivers are aware of it, it's pretty predictable, we're geared for it, there's no difference it our operations,” Gaudet said.

Garbage from the Charlottetown area ends up at the P.E.I. Energy Systems plant. It is dumped onto the warehouse floor, burned and converted into energy to heat several buildings.

“Basically it's an incinerator,” Gaudet said. “They take in approximately 27,000 tonnes per year, it incinerates at a high temperature, creates high pressure steam and water, and through a network of underground pipes, it heats several places within the city."

The buildings heated include the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, University of Prince Edward Island and some government buildings.

The Island Waste Management Corporation says when it comes to sorting, people seem to make the same mistakes year after year.

Gift wrap is the big one. Officials say shiny foil type is waste, otherwise it's compost. Many boxes can be composted as well.