ward 6 councillor mike cluett

Those of us in Ward 6 over the last few weeks have seen the effects of what we’ve called “Monday windstorms” and the resulting increase in the amount of garbage lining our streets.  On April 22nd, I along with a number of local ward 6 residents took part in my 2nd Annual Park Clean-up at Meighan Park and we saw first hand the effects of flying trash in our neighbourhoods.

Today in the Milton Canadian Champion, ward 6 resident J F Hardacre presents some ideas for everyone because the wind is everywhere, not just in our ward (No politicians/hot air comments please 🙂 )

Here is a link to the Region of Halton websitefor a list of acceptable items to include in your blue box and what not to include.

Here’s the letter. And thank you JF Hardacre for taking the time to pick up trash in your area to help keep our ward clean.  THANK YOU!

Read your recycling calendar to help eliminate litter

Dear Editor:

In a recent edition of the Champion, Helena Dudgeon wrote: “There are many locations in our beautiful town that through carelessness have become eyesores.”

Too true, sad to say. But where’s all this trash coming from? While a portion of it is due to some people’s sloppy habit of eating and drinking in their vehicles and then tossing the empties out the window, the sad truth is that most of the trash is the downside of our recycling program. Poorly-packed Blue Boxes and the wind that blows nine days out of 10 equal the mess we deplore.

The evidence? While walking my dogs recently in the Clark Boulevard/Bennett Boulevard area, I picked up some of the trash I came across, and it was all too obvious that it consisted almost entirely of Blue Box escapees.

Here’s a list of what I picked up and hauled home: Ninteen drink cans (not flattened), 14 water/pop bottles (not flattened, all with the caps on — caps go in the garbage, people), three juice cans, 16 paperboard boxes (most not flattened), one sheet of corrugated cardboard, one magazine, one sheet of craft paper, three flyers, two printed receipts, three tin can lids, nine newspaper pages, one paper bag, one margarine tub, one lid, one frozen juice can (not recyclable), one cellophane bag (not recyclable), one soup can, three dryer sheets (not recyclable), five clear plastic clamshells (not recyclable), one black clamshell (not recyclable), three styrofoam meat trays (styrofoam of any sort is not recyclable), one paper napkin, three plastic grocery bags (not recyclable, but I used them to put all the other stuff in). And the piece de resistance — a 2012 Halton recycling calendar.

All this (and there was much more that I didn’t have room for) from a walk around one block.

The solution? Read your recycling calendar. It tells quite clearly what should and shouldn’t go in your Blue Box. Among the should-nots are plastic clamshells, cellophane, dryer sheets, plastic toys, bottle caps, and plastic bags of any sort.

Pack your blue box carefully — completely flatten boxes, cans and plastic bottles and mash everything down into the box as far as possible. Put flimsy things like newspapers and flyers at the bottom, and any heavier stuff, like those flattened cans, on top. Don’t put any recycling in a plastic bag.

One more thing — make absolutely sure that nothing edible goes into your Blue Box. Anything edible will attract unwelcome guests like raccoons, skunks and coyotes.

A little more care and thoughtfulness in recycling will go a long way toward keeping Milton a town we can be proud to show off.

J. F. Hardacre

Milton