Corner Brook's new dual-stream recycling means less contamination charges at the landfill

    Wednesday, 1 April 2026 06:00

    By Tonya Organ

    Sustainability officer Kirstin Mercer says the new recycling program is actually going better than they expected and so far, the highest percentage of contamination is 2 percent, which shows people are doing a really good job at recycling.

    It’s been a few months now since Corner Brook introduced a new dual stream recycling program along with automated garbage pickup, and according to officials it’s catching on with residents. On Bayfm ‘s Trashtalk recently, the guests were Sustainability officer Kirstin Mercer and Lynn Howse of Western Regional Waste Management. The dual stream recycling means one week, blue bags containing plastics, containers and metals are collected and the next week it will be fibres, like paper and cardboard. Mercer says the new recycling program is actually going better than they expected and so far, the highest percentage of contamination is 2 percent, which shows people are doing a really good job at recycling. 

    Howse says any community with its own garbage and recycling program can set their own rules, but they have to be better than WRWM’s. She says the city of Corner Brook has gone one step ahead dividing recycling into two. 

    Mercer says the old way of recycling led to high contamination charges at the landfill, which is one of the reasons for the new program. Howse says it also cuts down on costs at WRWM since all clear garbage bags are sent to central, which are less due to the recycling. 

    For more information on recycling check out the wrml app or go to cornerbrook.com

     

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