Everyone knows recycling their waste is a far better alternative than simply turfing it into a landfill. But for many Shuswap residents knowing this and actually putting into practice are two different things.

This is in large part because of convenience. The recycling system in our region, managed by the Columbia Shuswap Regional District, has until recently only provided a collection service for plastics and corrugated cardboard at semi-annual recycling fairs, because of their fluctuating market prices.

There have long been calls for local residents to be able to dispose of their recyclables using a curbside pick-up process, rather than requiring people to store the items and take them to a central depot.

It is part of human nature. The easier it is for people to recycle, the more recyclables will be kept out of the landfill.

While we are not yet at the point of welcoming a curbside “blue box” program into our community, the CSRD’s new expansion of service is a step forward. The newly announced expansion means that aside from corrugated cardboard, which will go into a separate bin, residents will be able to deposit all their recyclables including mixed waste paper, newspaper, container glass, food tins and some types of plastic items into one container rather than separating them out themselves at the landfill sites or recycling depots. This will make an individual’s recycling task much quicker and easier, and likely spur more people to do better at keeping recyclable waste out of our landfills.

This service is scheduled to be operational in August, and it is predicted there will be an increase of 20 to 30 per cent in the amount of material being recycled in the region. When you consider that the region includes areas from Golden to the North Shore, that is a lot of material which will be put to better use than simply crowding up ever-dwindling space in local landfills. This is also a fiscally responsible move, as the costs of decommissioning landfill sites and creating new ones have significant tax implications for local residents.

This program may not be at the same level of convenience that other areas of the Okanagan, like our compatriots in Enderby receive, but reducing sorting and storage of recyclables for CSRD residents can only have a positive impact.