As the province began to relaunch the economy, a number of things that had been closed in Airdrie slowly began to reopen.  On March 6th, that included the Airdrie Recycling Depot and, apparently, residents of the city were anxious to have that happen.  

Team Leader for Airdrie Waste and Recycling Susan Grimm says since they opened the gates, with lots of changes to keep all concerned safe, it has been non-stop for recyclers and recycling staff.

 

The amount of traffic that has been using the facility has surprised even Grimm.  "We have had a lot of traffic through.  We're averaging about 240 cars a day. They're higher numbers than we were getting even before we closed the depot for COVID and we're recycling a lot more volume.  I think people are just bringing their excess that they were stockpiling, but it's great.  It just means that people held out and waited for us and are giving us a chance to process that."

According to a worker at the depot, 279 vehicles went through on Wednesday.  

The people at the depot followed provincial guidelines and put a lot of thought into how the depot would be set-up when it returned to business.  Grimm says all that has helped to make the transition a smooth one.

"It's signed very clearly when you get to the site, the staff are amazing and always willing to answer any questions even though we can't physically help since we're not putting ourselves in situations where we're touching material.  The modifications we've made are working and we're getting people through."

The depot is open Wednesday through Sunday from 9:00 am - 5:00 pm.  On Thursday mornings between 9:00 am and 10:00 am frontline workers and seniors are given priority and the city asks other residents to refrain from using the depot during that hour.  

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