Happy New Year! The Monday lunch blog returns...

The City of Surrey announced a new waste collection program that began last week. A key component of the program starts in June:

Beginning June 1, 2008, Single Stream Recycling collection will commence. You no longer will have to sort your recyclables. You will just empty, clean and place all acceptable recyclables in your blue box. The City will also be expanding the types of recyclables accepted to include Tetra Pak containers/cartons, milk cartons, and well as aluminum pie plates.

I think this is pretty exciting news — I just wish it were starting sooner! At the moment one has to drop off Tetra Paks at places like Safeway or the Bottle & Return-it Depot for recycling, which is a step less convenient than sorting it with the other recyclables and putting it on the curb. I'm keeping empty rice milk cartons if I can until this date because milk and milk substitute cartons are currently not accepted at Safeway, etc. I believe Bottle & Return-it Depots will accept them. Aluminum pie plates always ended up in the recycling at home anyway!

The convenience of the expanded program will, I think, encourage people to recycle more. Ultimately the emphasis for everyone should be on consuming less and reducing packaging. After all, the three Rs are Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!