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Blue Box Program welcomes two new materials

Starting September 1st, recycling boxes in North Bay will be welcoming two new items.
Starting September 1st, recycling boxes in North Bay will be welcoming two new items.

Polycoat cartons, which are waxed boxboard cartons used for juice and milk, and aseptic containers, which are better know as juice boxes, are the new additions to the recycling program in North Bay.

Tuesday afternoon, Mayor Vic Fedeli and David Briggs, Chair of the Resources Liaison Committee, celebrated the expanded program by knocking back a couple of juice boxes and then recycling them.

Briggs explained the decision to start recycling these items was based on increased usage of the materials The recent popularity of the products now make recycling the materials economically feasible.

“Previously you would not receive a lot of revenue per tonne of material recycled.” Briggs explained.

“Nowadays cities that have already started to recycle these two materials have seen between $60 and $80 per tonne.”

Briggs explained they expect to collect ten tonnes of Polycoat and aseptic materials.

Although the city only receives 80 per cent of the revenue, the remaining price for collecting and processing the material would cost approximately $1400 per year.

“The cost was the real selling point to council,” Briggs said.

To properly recycle these items city residents are asked to rinse out the milk cartons and remove the straws from juice boxes.

“The best way to wash the milk cartons is to use soapy water when you’re washing your dishes,” Briggs said.

“This will conserve water and keep the scent of rotting milk to a minimum.”

Briggs explained that to promote the expansion of the recycling program, a contest will be held at elementary schools.

Tetra Pack, the primary producer of aseptic containers, is funding the contest. The company will donate $2500 towards advertising the contest and $1000 of prize money for the winning school.

“The contest will instruct students to construct a creative monstrosity out of the juice boxes,” Briggs said.

Students will only be allowed to use juice boxes that they bring home while creating their masterpiece and will be judge later in the year.

“The $1000 will go towards library books, gym equipment, whatever they want to spend it on,” Briggs explained.

“As long as it doesn’t go towards, I guess, the principals salary.”