Implementing a ban on the collection and disposal of textiles is being considered as another way to prolong the life of the Merrick Landfill.
Of the four options presented to North Bay City Council, city staff recommended raising awareness through an education campaign focusing on reduction, reuse and recycling of textiles in addition to the ban.
See: City close to banning textiles from garbage pickup
That includes any kind of cloth or woven fabric, including clothing, drapes, sheets, towels and shoes.
“It is estimated that North Bay generates nearly 2,000 tons of unwanted textiles annually, of which the majority end up in the Merrick Landfill,” said senior environment and facilities engineer Karin Pratte.
“Textiles don’t have to end up in the landfill. They can be given away to friends, sold online, at garage sales or donated to local reuse stores which we have several in town. When textiles are donated to organizations, they are sorted based on quality, and put into the reuse and recycle stream. Only approximately 5 per cent of donated textiles end up in the landfill.”
City councillor Mac Bain agrees with the two-fold plan.
“The educational component is to encourage people to not throw their still good textiles into the garbage, and therefore into the landfill, which decreases the time we have for the use of the landfill,” explained Bain.
“The other is that we’re encouraging people to use and send them to the local charities and non-profits that are in North Bay, so that the textiles can be reused. If it is an old rag that you’ve used underneath your car, just throw it into the garbage.”
What it comes down to is a type of honour system.
“We are not going to have textile police going around through your garbage bags to ensure that you’re not throwing anything away. But what this is, is an educational component. The ban is just like we have for corrugated cardboard and for electronics,” said Bain.
“We’re encouraging the citizens of North Bay to divert textiles from the landfill to improve the environmental outcomes and improve the life of the landfill. If you put those textiles into your garbage and it rains or snows, it gets heavier and we’re paying as a municipality by weight to move product up to the landfill.”
Other than the advertising component, Pratte says the program will operate at little cost.
“It is the responsibility of the city’s contractor not to collect these items if visible. The intention would not be for the contractor to open garbage bags and visually inspect for textiles. However, if they see textiles, they would leave the items with a note explaining the ban.”
She said it is important to note the City of North Bay will continue to use their judgement and discretion when it comes to end of use textiles
“If a textile is in a state that is no longer able to be used or recycled, it will then be landfilled at the Merrick Landfill site.”
Councillor Mark King asked for further study.
“I’m very familiar with the textile industry and there is another side to it. I think they may not have thought about this, because they haven’t discussed the issue with industry and what impact that could have on some of the industries here in North Bay,” said King.
‘I didn’t feel comfortable with the answers they gave me. If the resolution doesn’t explicitly indicate exclusion of industry out of it, that they’re only dealing with household pickup, then I would be satisfied with that process. You have to be awfully careful about whether or not we’re creating a situation where it could end up costing industry.”
If approved, the ban would be put in place on April 22, which coincides with Earth Day.
Bain says the landfill currently has a life expectancy of 19 years.
