Recyclable cans and bottles are piling up as many await the re-opening of recycling depots.
They are one of the many businesses that was forced to close due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Encorp Atlantic general manager Pierre Landry says they expect a lot of volume initially.
“It is going to be somewhat chaotic at first but we don’t expect any problems. Depot owners are really anxious to re-open their facilities.”
He says there will likely will be new standards and practices put into place.
“We’re waiting on the province to establish some sort of protocol that we can share with exiting operators. This will obviously be a learning process for all of us.”
Landry says this is normally a busy time of year for the depots because many people save up their recyclables all winter. Some even find a lot of their cans and bottles during their spring clean-up.
“Some operators have said if customers come in with containers already counted then they will offer immediate payments, but if redemption centres have labour shortages, they might offer an average based on volume. This would be based on individual operators though,” Landry says. “It is really hard to say how things will get going. They’re just really eager to re-open.”
There’s no word yet on a re-opening date for recycling depots.
