Tooke with some of the items he's pulled out from the landfill.

It's another win for the Foothills Salvage and Recycling Society as they've brought in a new position that is doing wonders for their group and the community.

The group hired on a what they call a 'diversion specialist' whose job is to educate landfill users about the salvage centre, to stop any propane and hazardous household objects from entering the landfill and most importantly to relocate reusable goods, with permission, from the landfill to the salvage centre to be sold for a very reasonable price.

Candice Dupre, general manager of FSRS says since the addition the centre and landfill has seen nothing but positive outcomes.

"It's been great, people are more and more aware that they can bring in their items that are reusable to the centre...even the items that people think are garbage are not necessarily garbage...like if it's a trolley that has a wheel missing, it can be re-purposed... it's also helping to divert items to their proper recycling spots in the landfill."

And on top of bringing awareness and helping to keep the site in order as of September 30th Wayne Tooke, diversion specialist, has brought in an additional $38,000 to the salvation centre and has diverted 98 tonnes from the Foothills landfill since the June 1st start date.

Dupre says the position has already surpassed her and landfill manager Joe Angevine's expectations.

"We were hoping that the position would just pay for itself and that if we could divert that tonnage every single day out of the landfill then that gave the job life and essentially of course it also gives someone in the M.D. a job as well. So that was kind of our driving force towards the idea and I think we have succeeded in it and it's lived past its expectations."

Tooke's mentality and skills from past trades has played a huge role in how successful his new role has been, he says, "What other people think is garbage, I think is treasure."

The move has been a win win for everyone as Dupre hopes the diversion methods will help to keep the area and planet a cleaner place and the extra money made will help the salvage centre to expand in the near future and will also help the community as it continues to be donated to groups that need the support.

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