The Town of Rimbey has opened up access to their waste transfer recycle site to more customers, after their local grade 4 class asked why they couldn't recycle their cardboard.

Now the recycling facility will be free of charge for commercial customers, schools and churches in a trial period that ends on June 30th.

Grade 4 teacher at Rimbey Elementary Dawn Doll says, the students wrote letters to council, explaining how it didn't make any sense to them why the school was unable to use the recycling facility. 

“Schools recycling is very important just with the amount of lunch and snack waste, with convenient plastic packaging and onetime use packages that they are often bringing, like yogurts, and apple sauces and things like that. They realize they are creating a lot of waste and they wanted to be able to be more responsible with that.”

Doll says her kids were really excited to hear the news that their voices had been heard.

“Because they didn’t realize that as young kids, that their voices could affect change, so when I talked to them about the letter and shared with them what they meant, and explained to them that in large part that decision was because of their letters, they felt really proud of themselves.”

Following the trial period, the town will determine if it can continue the program, and determine what if any costs would be involved with the continuation of the program, with Ball and her students hoping they continue to be allowed to use the recycling facilities.