Fredericton moves downtown recycling bins, eyes reform

Fredericton is moving its large blue recycling bins from a downtown location as the city looks to a consultant for help in overhauling the entire garbage collection, recycling and composting program.

Apartment and condominium residents in the city do not have access to curbside recycling so those people living on the southside were able to drop off their paper and plastics to a large bin at the Fredericton Exhibition grounds.

That site has been moved to the top of Regent Street, across from the Corbett Centre.

Coun. Greg Ericson, the chair of the public safety and environment committee, said the new home for the recycling bins isn't a long-term solution.

"It is not the ideal location, especially if you consider this summer's pending renewal of the Regent Street, Prospect intersection and the overpass," he said on Information Morning Fredericton on Wednesday.

Information Morning - Fredericton10:33Moving recycling bins

Coun. Greg Ericson explains why the large recycling bins for apartment residents are moving to the top of Regent Street"But it is the most immediately temporary place we could find for them given that they needed to be taken out of the Ex for … this coming weekend."

Even though the recycling bins were in a high-traffic area at the exhibition, Ericson said they were only getting about half of the items diverted compared to the curbside program.

He also said there had been issues of garbage being put in the bins and contaminating the materials in the recycling bins

Options for new locations coming

City staff are expected to present future options for the recycling bins in April.

Ericson said one option could be spread the recycling units around the southside of Fredericton. He said the goal is to make recycle easier for people living in multi-unit buildings.

The city is in the process of reviewing how it handles its recycling program.

Ericson said a consultant has been hired to examine the city's garbage collection, composting and recycling programs and then perform a comparative analysis between Fredericton and other Canadian communities.

The environment committee chair said the city is looking for possible options to replicate.

"We want to be able to offer the best possible services around recycling and some green outcomes that we can," he said.

"We are keenly aware that people innovate all across the country and bring interesting solution to these social problems."