Sharp consequences for discontinued Surrey program

> How lack of used-needle clean-up affects safety

Mercedes Deutscher
News Editor

 

public safety program,

operated by Lookout
Emergency Aid, was discontinued
in Surrey on September g
due to lack of funding.

Rig Dig was a program
that allowed for the clean-up
and safe disposal of trash—
most importantly, used
needles—from public spaces,
such as streets and parks.

According to CBC, Rig
Dig has been responsible for
the disposal of over 21,000
needles since April.

Over the last year, however,
funding for the program has
been cut drastically. While the
program previous operated on
$50,588, it was granted only
$8,400 in 2015-16. Since Rig
Dig used most of that funding
within three months, it had
to look to emergency funding
to make it to September. They

  

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received a $4,000 emergency
grant from Surrey Homelessness
and Housing Society, as

 

    

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reported by the Province.
“I don’t know who is going to
collect these discarded needles

Inside Douglas College's garbage

> A look at the new recycling initiative being put in place this year

Jamal Al-Bayaa
Staff Writer

 

D ouglas College’s new garbage
and recycling program isn’t
wasting any time setting the tone
for what garbage and recycling
disposal will look like at the
college from here onwards.

A team of dedicated staff
and student volunteers—led
by Andrew Hodgson, facilities
manager at New Westminster—
is working towards a common
goal: educating the Douglas
College population of how the
new system will work. They
can be seen in the concourse,
near recycling bins, and
elsewhere around campus
in bright green shirts.

The goal is a total of 75
per cent waste diversion,
meaning that only 25 per cent
of everything Douglas College
students will throw out will go
into the garbage. It’s a common
goal among universities, as
well as the milestone that the
City of Vancouver and other
municipalities are trying to reach.

It is a difficult one, however,
with Hodgson telling the Other
Press that similar initiatives
elsewhere have currently
achieved a landfill diversion
rate of about 58 per cent.

By far, the biggest change
that students and staff will see is
the addition of a new composting
bin. It is now completely separate
from garbage, meaning it will be

sorted and taken to a composting
facility, whereas before it was
taken to the landfill, which is
environmentally damaging, and
generally inefficient. The addition
of a composting bin brings the
total bin number up to four.
Despite the efforts of staff
and student volunteers, the
Douglas College population
reports a general feeling of
confusion around the specifics of
what goes in which bin. Where do
straws go? Where do coffee cups
go? Where does the metal foil of a
yogurt container go? The problem

that the recycling initiative is
currently experiencing is that

if people don’t know where
something goes, they often revert
back to their “safest option,”
which is throwing things out
into the garbage. However, with
a 75 per cent landfill diversion
target, this is possibly the worst
place to throw most items.

A campaign was made to
smooth the transition from a
garbage mindset to a recycling
mindset. Coffee cups have been
especially tricky for the new
recycling program, and were

Image via thinkstock

if we don’t,” Keir Macdonald,
director of Lookout, told the
Province. “We do expect a
bit of an outcry on this.”

With the program on
at least a temporary closure,
residents and business owners in
Surrey—Whalley in particular—
can expect to find more used
needles on the streets.

While most of the needles
are usually found in Whalley,
usage of opioids has become
more widespread in Surrey
over the previous few years,
and used needles are being
discarded all around the city,
posing a broader threat. There
is extra cause for concern with
school being back in session.

Macdonald told the Surrey
Now “..it’s not just the primary
business area that we keep an
eye on, the parks, the streets,
we do the school areas as
well. Without this service we
won't be sweeping through.”

Used needles pose a safety
hazard due to their contact

 

reported as one of the most
common mistakes made. “Pop
the Top” illustrates the coffee
cup going into a paper recycling
bin, and the lid going into a
mixed containers bin. The poster
illustrates the marketing style

of the recycling campaign well,
with few words, visual appeal,

and easily digestible information.

“We really rely on good
signage,’ Hodgsons said.

He elaborated that it’s
especially important that the
whole project looks professional
and respectable, and he

with the bloodstream, and
can transmit harmful diseases
and viruses, especially if the
user was HIV positive.
Macdonald hopes that the
outcry from Rig Dig ceasing to
exist will be enough to revive
the program. If Lookout were
to receive more funding for Rig
Dig over the next few months,
there is still a possibility for the
program to re-open next year.
Fraser Health advises those
who encounter used needles in
the streets not to touch them. If
people need to dispose of them,
they should wear gloves, and
place the needle in a bottle or
other container. They should
bring it to the nearest pharmacy
or public health unit. People can
also call their nearest health unit
to come dispose of the needles.
Those who come in
unprotected contact with
a needle should wash their
hands immediately, try not to
squeeze the affected area, and
visit a health unit or clinic.

Photo by Joel McCarthy

feels that the campaign has
achieved that goal. Hopefully,
that respect translates into
a greater appreciation of
the recycling process.
Implementation has been
considered a success, but reports
of student confusion continue.
Likewise, there is visual proof
that people are still unsure
of exactly what goes where.
However, it is improving over
time, and it is part of a process
that will take many months of
feedback, and trial and error.