Photo Anja Karadeglija
	Garbage pickup day in the borough.

The borough’s two Éco-quartier hope that recycling rates will improve as two new recycling initiatives start this fall.

The two programmes will give out large rolling recycling bins to area residents and some businesses.

As part of a city program, CDN-NDG single-family homes will receive 240-litre recycling bins, the distribution of which started on Oct. 4. Starting on Oct. 18, 2,000 borough duplexes and triplexes will receive 360-litre bins as part of a pilot project.

Nikki Schiebel, coordinator of Éco-Quartier NDG, said that for some residents, like families with several children, the small bins currently in use just weren’t big enough. Even if three are used at the same time, their total volume is still only 180 litres.

Some people feel that they really need a rolling bin to recycle all the matter that they have in their homes.

Charles Mercier, the director of the Société environnementale de Côte-des-Neiges, which runs the Éco-Quartier CDN, explained that some residents were complaining about their recycling being dispersed by wind when using the smaller bins, which don’t have lids.

“So they were asking for bigger bins and we had to say no, unfortunately, the large bins are only for big buildings,” he said.

Area restaurants, hotels and bars will be receiving 360-litre recycling bins as part of a partnership between the borough, the two éco-quartiers, and non-profit Table pour la récupération hors foyer, which is funding the endeavor through a subsidy program.

Mercier said that the businesses chosen are ones that produce a lot of recyclable materials.

“The first step was a letter written by the borough to every restaurant, hotel and bar of the territory and… the week after that, we started visiting them,” said Mercier.

The businesses have to request the bins in order to receive them, which takes two to four weeks. Since the program started in late August, some have already received their bins, added Mercier.

He said that the response “has been very good – the only case when they don’t want the bins is when they don’t have enough space.”

Schiebel encouraged the businesses to take advantage of the program while they can, explaining that “they normally don’t get them for free. This is a one-time deal.”

[Anja Karadeglija]