The data is in, and the City of Courtenay’s new multi-family and apartment recycling Toter program has surpassed expectations. In its first four months, the program collected 46 tonnes of recyclable materials from complexes around the City, with usage steadily increasing each month.

Allan Gornall, the City’s sustainability planner, said the both the City and the recycling contractor are extremely pleased with the results. “We thought the program would be popular, but this is beyond what we’d hoped. It’s great to see residents taking advantage of the program.”

The Toters accept the same materials and follow the same pickup schedule as the residential Blue Box program.

So far, 111 buildings have signed up for recycling pickup service – 78 per cent of all multi-family and apartment complexes in the city.

The program is being monitored carefully to see where improvements can be made, noted Gornall. “Right now, we’re looking into possibly switching out the Toters in exchange for bigger bins at some of the larger complexes. This would give these facilities more recycling capacity.”

Property managers wishing to start recycling pickup service should contact Gornall at 250-334-4441 or email agornall@courtenay.ca. The Toters are $90 each, with one Toter recommended for every six units.

All multi-family buildings will now be charged $17 per unit each year to offset the cost of the Toter program.

Residents whose buildings don’t have Toters are advised to contact their building manager to follow up.

To get more details on what materials are recyclable, or to find out the waste pickup schedule for your area, visit www.courtenay.ca, then click on the Residents drop down menu, then Garbage and Recycling.