Balzac residents will now have access to a local recycling centre, thanks to Rocky View County’s (RVC) unveiling of its newest mobile recycling facility location at the Rocky View County Fleet Services Building (located at 291031 Rocky View Way), in the east portion of the parking lot.
Dubbed the “chuck wagon,” the mobile recycling centre will be open every Wednesday from 1 to 7 p.m. It will operate throughout the winter as well.
Currently, Rocky View County (RVC) has five similar chuck wagon recycling facilities, making the Balzac spot the sixth in the county.
“We want to try to reach as many residents as possible in terms of convenience,” said Christian Yee, a solid waste and recycling advisor for RVC. “Our benchmark is trying to get every resident within [a] 15-kilometre radius of all recycling facilities.”
Balzac residents were previously outside of that 50-kilometre radius, according to Yee, making the new location for the mobile recycling unit an easy decision.
The chuck wagon will accept household garbage, paper, clear glass, cardboard, plastic, small metal items, yard waste, and compostable organics. These recyclables are then transported to the County’s larger transfer site, where the materials are consolidated and processed, Yee explained.
The processed material is then sent to the appropriate recycling centre. For instance, metal may be sent to one site, while paper will be sent to another. Once there, the recycled waste will be further processed and reused.
“We want to help divert as much waste away from the landfills as possible,” Yee said. “We want to try to create a sustainable environment for everybody in future generations.
“Landfills do produce greenhouse gas emissions and other not-so-friendly gases that are not sustainable for future environments.”
To participate in the program, RVC residents can purchase garbage bag tickets through the County's tag-a-bag system. Purchased online, these bags are sold in five or 25-ticket bundles, costing approximately $3 a bag.
Anyone interested in purchasing the tag-a-bag tickets can visit the Rocky View County website at: bit.ly/3cepGYI
The wagon will be manned by one RVC staff member, who will collect cheques and offer tag-a-bags, as well as help visitors in sorting their recycling into the proper bin.
The Balzac chuck wagon will feature an organics waste collection, making it the third in the County to do so.
“We want to help residents have convenient opportunities to bring their material for composting and recycling,” Yee said.
