As summer students working with the Saskatchewan Waste Reduction Council, we spend most of our time on the go, traveling the province and interacting with the public. The work we did with Cleanfarms was a welcome change to this pace. It provided hands-on learning and introduced us to the back end of recycling operations.
Our guides were Tammy Shields and Serena Klippenstein — names you might recognize from other Cleanfarms blog posts. We all met at Curtis Construction, a recycling centre just outside of Naicam, SK. After suiting up in protective equipment, we got to work conducting two waste characterization studies: one focused on seed, pesticides, and inoculant (SPI) bags, and the other on chemical jugs and containers. Our goal was to determine what was being brought in for recycling by identifying and isolating brands and container types, as well as hunting for bags or jugs that fell outside the programs.
We examined over 1,500 containers from 10 drop-off locations throughout the province, from Turtleford to Hudson Bay and examined over 1,000 SPI bags (600 kg). Jugs were sorted by size, if they had been rinsed adequately, and whether they had their lids and booklets. Similarly, SPI bags were sorted by size, material type, if there was a lining, and contents. Each jug and bag in these waste characterization studies played an important role in helping Cleanfarms understand how and what people are recycling, and how to improve and grow the programs.
After conducting the waste characterization studies and seeing the recycling facility in action, the one thing that stuck with us the most was how many people are needed at each stage of the process to ensure materials are processed properly. This work with Cleanfarms provided context on why it is important to rinse and recycle correctly – it ensures the health and safety of those handling these materials at each stage, from truck drivers to machine operators to students like us!
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