Calgary recycling facility dealing with rats

Throughout the last year, it turns out more than just people have been moving to Calgary to call the city home, as rats infest some local recycling plants.

Cascades Recovery+ in the southeast is one of two recycling facilities thought to be dealing with rodents.

In a statement to CityNews, a company representative said the business’s Calgary recovery facility is dealing with Norway rats.

They say the issue is “under control” and being managed onsite.

The City of Calgary and Alberta Agriculture are aware of the situation, according to the representative, and the company is working with a pest control company to resolve the problem.

“Rodent presence are not uncommon at recycling facilities,” they continued. “As you probably also know, Cascades is a city contractor that sorts recycled material from curbside collection in Calgary.

“We therefore receive containers, packaging and printed material from every Calgary’s door in order to sort it and allow it to be recycled. As the containers or packaging placed in the blue bin may contain food residue, there is also a risk that rats will be transported to our sorting facility.”

“With about 160 trucks coming in every day, there’s always a risk,” the representative said.

Norway rats are the most common to be seen in the prairies.

Growing as long as 18 inches, a single pair of these rodents can lead to upwards of 15,000 offspring in a single year.

It’s no secret that Alberta takes rat control seriously.

It’s illegal to own a rat as a pet in the province, and, according to the Alberta Rat Control Program website, since the early 1950s, there have been fierce efforts to keep the province free of the pests.

This includes a rat control zone, along the eastern border with Saskatchewan.

To reduce the rat risk, Calgarians are reminded to rinse recyclables — items that are empty, clean, and dry will help reduce the food sources that rats are attracted to.