CORNER BROOK, N.L. — You do it at home and now you have to do it at work — sort your waste, that is.
Western Regional Waste Management adopted its industrial, commercial and institutional (IPI) policy on Nov. 1.
That means every business in the western region — including, but not limited to, office buildings, restaurants, retail stores, hotels/motels, health institutions, educational facilities and gas stations — must participate in the waste management’s Sort It program, separating recyclable material from waste.
Lynn Howse is the regional outreach officer with the waste authority.
She said the implementation now brings everyone in the region under the program that started in June 2018 with single-family units and expanded to multi-dwelling units in April of this year.
“It’s time for everybody to start thinking about recycling on the same level,” said Howse.
“The idea is to have everybody on the same page. So, no matter where you are, if you’re home, or you’re at work or you’re out in the public and you’re doing some Christmas shopping, you always have an opportunity to follow the guidelines.”
It also means there will always be two separate bins where people can sort their waste.
“And there’s always an opportunity to make sure that those habits are building and everyone is following the same policy and guidelines.”
In an office building, for example, Howse said people will follow the same rules as they do at home with two bins, one for recycling and one for waste.
This doesn’t mean an office has to go out and get a separate blue bin for every person there.
Howse said an office manager might decide to set up a recycling centre with bins in a central location.
“Restaurants can take it one step further and look at whether or not the supplies they use to run their business can be converted to biodegradable or recyclable supplies.”
While Nov. 1 was the implementation date, Howse said the waste authority hasn’t set a hard date in terms of compliance.
“We have decided that it’s best that we educate, guide and lead through this program,” she said.
“We want to see how many people are willing to just take up the policy and implement it all across the board before we have to start enforcing it.”
Some businesses will need more infrastructure, and more time and resources than others to comply. Any business that feels it can’t comply is asked to contact the waste management authority so it can be aware of any concerns and help guide them through the adjustment.
Howse is also available to conduct waste assessments, and offer suggestions on what items could be diverted from a business’s waste and where to put waste centres.
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Twitter: WS_DianeCrocker