Turner Valley Town council gave the green light to purchase bins to kick start curbside recycling while councillors in Black Diamond say an implementation program and public education are needed first.
Black Diamond council unanimously defeated a motion to purchase bins for residential curbside recycling and organics at its July 21 meeting. Instead, it requested administration work with the Towns of Turner Valley and Okotoks to create an implementation program for curbside recycling and organic pick-up and discuss the future of the Oilfields Recycling Centre with Turner Valley administration.
“I think buying carts is putting the cart before the horse without any kind of program development or education plan in place,” Coun. Brian Marconi told council. “We have to work on those two first and then buy the bins as we get closer to an implementation date.”
Administration recommended council approve purchasing 1,150 bins at a cost of $172,500, as well as $10,000 in shipping fees, from its capital reserve account. Earlier this year, the Town sold its 2015 garbage truck for $37,500 after contracting its garbage collection services to Okotoks, bringing the capital reserve total to about $259,266.
Marconi told council that a decision must be made regarding the future of the Oilfields Recycling Centre if the Towns are to pursue curbside recycling.
“I don’t think residents are willing to pay twice for recycling,” he said. “We either have curbside with no recycling centre or we have the recycling centre only.”
Black Diamond pays a third of the centre’s operation and maintenance costs, which fluctuates based on the market for products, with the five-year average at $57,556.66 annually. Homeowners pay $12 for the service every two months.
Marconi said the councils have yet to decide whether to partner with Okotoks or create a hybrid system.
Paul Lyons, Okotoks waste services manager, told Black Diamond council that Okotoks has a recycling program and education in place, which are available if council decides to strike a partnership.
He also warned council that the price of carts is on the rise.
Councillors Jackie Stickel and Veronica Kloiber said while they support curbside pickup for recycling and organics, details of the program should be ironed out first.
Stickel said she would like to know the size and cost for each the recycling and compost bins, and whether or not to continue operating the Oilfields Recycling Centre.
Coun. Ted Bain agreed.
“We should work out what we’re going to do with a little bit more certainty before we spend $172,500 of taxpayers’ money,” he said. “Yes, the cost could increase for the bins, but the cost could go down.”
Black Diamond chief administrative officer Sharlene Brown said a waste audit was conducted by the Foothills Regional Services Commission last spring to determine the volume of waste being transported to the landfill.
The resulted show more than 43 per cent of Black Diamond’s waste was organics, 20.4 per cent was recyclables and 37 per cent was landfill material. Turner Valley's audit shows 46 per cent was organics, eight per cent was recyclables and 46 per cent was deemed landfill material.
“The highest percentage is in organics,” Brown told council. “It makes more sense to start with organic programming. Just the green bins will lower tipping costs at the landfill. That’s a decision administration would like council to go in.”
At its July 19 regular meeting, Turner Valley council authorized its administration to purchase 1,300 black carts with the $100,000 cost coming from its capital reserve funds.
Turner Valley Mayor Barry Crane said the decision was made in an effort to be proactive in council’s desire to pursue curbside recycling and to get a jump on purchasing bins due to an approximate six month delay on ordering bins.
“By buying bins, all we’re doing is setting the stage for future discussion on what that model will look like, whether it’s private or a regional partnership with Okotoks,” he said. “We have discussed curbside recycling for three years. We’ve talked to Black Diamond about this partnership at three intermunicipal joint steering committee meetings as well as the Joint Friendship Agreement Committee (JFAC) meeting. It was voted at a JFAC meeting that this was the direction to go.”
Council approved the purchase of black bins, similar to those used for Black Diamond’s garbage collection. Crane said the blue bins Turner Valley currently uses for garbage will be used for recycling and the new black bins will be used for garbage collection once the program is implemented, modelling Okotoks’ waste and recycling collection program.
“We’ve been working with Okotoks for well over a year and a half on curbside recycling and matching the regional model that Okotoks has perfected,” he said.
Crane estimates it will cost approximately $1 more per month per household for curbside recycling, in addition to the current recycling fee.
“Any increase in our recycling fee will be offset by the tonnage loss coming from the landfill,” he said. “We’re increasing our service level by being fiscally responsible.”
He said council decided to put organics collection on hold, citing there currently isn’t a market for it.
As for the future of the Oilfields Recycling Centre, Crane said it will be up for discussion in the coming months.
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