If the recycling situation in Cote-Des-Neiges-NDG doesn't improve soon, residents will have better luck calling an artist named Marke to come Take Part in the much needed cleanup.
Recycling pickup has been hit or miss in the borough, lately seeing a lot more misses than anything else.
Borough Mayor Sue Montgomery said it's all due to the fact one of the companies contracted, Ricova, to pick up recycling quit.
"It's been very frustrating. They haven't been doing their job, basically. We've fined them several times, we've talked to those in charge," Montgomery told CTV Montreal. "Unfortunately, the recycling has been piling up and this week, it's come to a head."
On Sunday the borough brought in its own man power, blue collar workers, paying them overtime as they went around doing the job Ricova is no longer doing.
"They started at 7:00 a.m., we've got six trucks out on the road right now picking up all these piles of recycling," said Montgomery.
The Mayor said the borough is mandated to take the company that submits the lowest bid, which in this case did not work out.
"Ricova underestimated what it would cost them. They started doing the job, realized 'oh, we're not making any money on this so we're just going to stop doing the job,'" she said. "It doesn't work like that."
So what happens now?
Montgomery said the borough council will vote to approve a new contract at the next meeting, but that's not until August 20.
In the meantime the mayor hopes to use a rule allowing the borough to award a contract under $100,000.
"What we're trying to do now is give a contract to the new company that will take us between now and when they start the official contract," she said. "For the next three weeks, it's going to continue to be difficult. We may not have pickup; we may have to call in our blue collars again to do the job."
Montgomery said for now residents are going to have to cut down on recycling, or at least keep it indoors if at all possible. The best estimate as to when the situation will see some improvement, Montgomery said July 30.