From Recycling Myths to Local Solutions

Series: Waste to Local Businesses

“Rethinking Our Lawns: How Xeriscaping Builds Resilience”

On November 19, Diamond Valley Council held one of the most important meetings of the year: the first full review of the 2026 budget. Over the coming weeks, this budget will shape our town’s future priorities — from water security and infrastructure repairs to long-term financial planning and community services.

This summary is based on a full review of the meeting agenda, budget materials, and the 42-page transcript from the November 19 Council meeting.

1. The Town identified an Infrastructure Deficit

For decades, we’ve been told that if we rinse it, sort it, and drop it in the green bin, we’ve done our part. Recycling, we were assured, would close the loop — transforming waste back into new products while protecting the planet.

But for small communities like ours, the story doesn’t end where people think it does. Behind the cheerful arrows of the recycling symbol lies a complex system of fluctuating markets, long-haul transport, and limited local capacity. Many items collected with the best of intentions simply don’t make it back into the cycle.

I know this firsthand. For more than eleven years, I was the operator of our local recycling centre. I saw every bale and bin come through the gates — the good, the bad, and the wishful. Some materials had strong local or regional buyers: clean cardboard, aluminum, and high-grade plastics often found a home. Others were a constant struggle — glass too heavy to ship, low-grade plastics with no market, and mixed paper that sat waiting for a buyer that never came.

What people didn’t see was the cost of keeping that promise of “recycling.” Sorting, baling, trucking, and storage all carried a price tag, and when markets collapsed. Unfortunately some of those materials were quietly redirected to landfill. Not for lack of effort — but because the system was never built for the realities of small-town recycling.

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