Sort'nGo – West Coast

Have you watched our video about how to best secure and store your new Sort'nGo carts to reduce wildlife interactions? As we get nearer to delivering new carts to single-family homes in Tofino and Ucluelet ahead of our launch, find out what you need to know about storing and securing carts in the video below:

Quick Takeaways

Using the Cart Locking Mechanisms

The new organics and garbage carts come with certified locking mechanisms to further reduce the chance of wildlife accessing the contents. Residents should:

• Keep both clips locked to the lid 24/7 except on collection day when placing carts roadside between 5am-8am
• Once roadside, unlock the clips and hook the two ends together to avoid cart damage when emptied by the collection

Securing and Storing Carts

Ideally, carts will be stored inside and away from entry doors and windows (i.e., pantry, garage). If carts must be stored outside, they will need to be properly secured. Not properly securing/storing carts is the #1 reason animals are able to get access, damage carts and increase the risk of human-wildlife conflict.

Guidelines from WildSafeBC include:

• All types of outdoor sheds are not strong enough to prevent bears from accessing their contents – unless they are outfitted with electrical fencing
• If stored outdoors, secure carts with chains or cables locks to a secure base, such as a concrete block to prevent an adult bear from dragging it away
• Store carts in a well-lit area, or area with security/motion sensor lights
• Keep carts away from entryways and doors
• Decrease odors and attractants by storing smelly food waste (i.e., fish and meat products) in the freezer before transferring to green carts on collection day

Materials & Resources

• Materials for securing and storing carts can be purchased locally from Windsor Plywood or Slegg Lumber and will also be available for purchase at Ozzard Environmental Recycling Depots in Tofino and Ucluelet in the coming weeks.
• For further tips on reducing human-wildlife conflict, follow WildsafeBC on Facebook or visit: wildsafebc.com/resources/guides

Did You Know About the Subsidy?

• A subsidy for west coast residents is available through WildSafeBC, to help people cover the cost of electric fencing (50% up to 500$). Funding is limited and on a first come first serve basis. For more information email pacrim@wildsafebc.com.

District of Tofino Wildlife Attractant Bylaw No. 1317

• Learn more about what the bylaw means for securing and storing Sort'nGo carts at: https://www.letsconnectacrd.ca/sortngo-west-coast/widgets/109141/faqs#24384

The Sort'nGo ACRD app is available for download to iPhones and Android devices from the Apple Store or Google Play:

• Get collection schedule alerts to mobile, email or voice mail
• Use the quick sort tool to help you sort items like plastic bags, styrofoam, corrugated cardboard, and grass clippings
• Find out where to take items that don’t belong in the carts
• Play the interactive sorting game to hone your sorting skills!

Don't have a mobile device? No problem! Our desktop version is available here: https://api.recollect.net/r/area/ACRD

As we look forward to launching Sort'nGo in the west coast this November, it's critical that residents understand the changes coming to the existing roadside collection service, and at the landfill, and why we're focusing on diverting organic waste from the garbage stream.

Learn more about the new Sort'nGo collection service featuring organics and what changes are required as we move from a manual collection service to automated cart collection: https://www.westerlynews.ca/marketplace/introduction-to-sortngo-three-stream-automated-cart-collection/

(Article published in The Westerly News)

As we gear up for the new organics, recycling and garbage collection service launching in Tofino and Ucluelet this November, and residents consider their cart size needs, it’s important to understand how these changes will affect overall garbage collection.

With the new Sort’nGo collection service and the introduction of a (green) organics cart, we will now be diverting food and yard waste from the garbage stream where it’s currently taking up to 43% of space.

As we start diverting that waste – which isn’t garbage! – and transforming it into compost instead, we’ll also be removing 31% of garbage space with the (blue) recycling carts.

The more we divert, the less garbage we will have for our black carts – which is why we can move garbage collection to a bi-weekly schedule, with organics and recycling pickup every week.

By introducing an organic waste collection, and further diverting waste from our garbage that can be recycled and reused, we can make critical steps forward in our communities to preserve our landfill space, reduce GHG emissions and avoid other, costly infrastructure upgrades.

Starting this November, west coast residents will begin diverting food and yard waste away from the garbage stream and out of the landfill, so that we can transform that organic waste into compost — extending the lifespan of the landfill and decreasing the harmful methane gases that are produced with organic waste is left buried under garbage.

But with these changes comes updates to sorting items for roadside collection. Here are some tips to help residents hone their sorting skills ahead of the service launch! You can also play the sorting game or search items to sort on the Sort'nGO ACRD app, available for iPhones and Androids (desktop version: https://api.recollect.net/r/area/ACRD).

What Can and Can't Go in the Organics (Green) Cart?

Dos:

• Food scraps, including meat, bones and dairy
• Coffee grinds
• Soiled papers like paper towels, cardboard, tissues and greasy pizza boxes
• Yard waste including grass, leaves, small amounts of fallen fruit, and branches that are no bigger than 24 inches, or two feet, with a two-inch diameter (this is to ensure that material can get through the truck's “hopper” system).

Don’ts:

• Coffee pods
• Stickers, bits of plastic or rubber bands from produce items
• Garden tags or plastic accessories from planters/flowers
• Aluminum foil
• Pet feces
• Compostable or biodegradable plastics (these labels aren't consistently regulated in the industry which means they may not break down as required and could end up contaminating the compost stream)
• Invasive weeds from yard waste, such as Knotweeds and blackberry bushes. See a full list of noxious weeds on the BC Government website.

Pet feces, produce stickers and accessories, coffee pods and invasive weeds should be disposed of in the garbage or at the West Coast Landfill, all other items can be dropped off at SonBird Refuse & Recycling in Tofino at 640 Warren Way, and in Ucluelet at 333 Forbes Road.

What Can and Can't Go in the Recycling (Blue) Carts?

Do's:

Items that go in the blue cart for pickup remain the same:

• Mixed paper
• Cardboard and boxboard
• Paper packaging that contained liquids
• Paper beverage cups and lids
• Tin and aluminum containers or foil
• Plastic bottles
• Containers and tubs under 25L
• Empty aerosol cans

Don’ts:

• Styrofoam
• Plastic bags
• Glass bottles and jars
• Plastic straws
• Squeeze tubes
• Books

Items that don't belong in the blue cart can be dropped off at SonBird Refuse & Recycling in Tofino at 640 Warren Way, and in Ucluelet at 333 Forbes Road (softcover/hardcover books can be donated to reuse centres or recycled).