Clear garbage bags wanted to expose recycling sins: CBRM

The days of hiding recyclable or compostable waste in dark garbage bags may be coming to an end in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality.

Francis Campbell, solid waste manager for the CBRM, is asking for permission to mandate a switch to clear bags.

"We all know that there's people out there that are not recycling and composting," Campbell told the public services committee of regional council Wednesday.

Campbell said a move to clear garbage bags would force people to separate their trash from their recycling and compost, which he said would end up saving the CBRM money.

The municipality pays by the tonne to send its garbage off the island. In the 2007-08 fiscal year, the CBRM trucked more than 30,000 tonnes of mixed waste to a facility in Guysborough County.

'It costs," said Campbell. "We're now paying $2.7 million, probably closer to $3 million a year to ship and dispose of this garbage in Guysborough."

Coun. Kim Deveaux said the money saved on trucking, tipping fees and wear and tear on the roads is just one reason to ban opaque garbage bags.

"We have to realize that we're more than just citizens of the CBRM — we're citizens of the planet. We have a huge responsibility in reducing the volume of garbage," said Deveaux.

More than half of Nova Scotia's 55 municipalities have switched to clear bags.

The committee wants to hear from Campbell again in September before forwarding the recommendation to regional council. Campbell hopes the clear-bag program is in place by next June.

If approved, any garbage bag with visible recyclables will be left at the curb. Trash collectors will keep tagging the bag until the resident separates the items properly.