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Black Diamond partnering with Okotoks in pilot program

Black Diamond town council approved the Town of Okotoks’ proposal to collect and dispose of its solid waste through a regional curbside collection pilot project that will run from June 2 to Dec. 31.
Black Diamond Garbage Cans 7326 BWC
The Town of Okotoks will be collecting solid waste in Black Diamond June 2 to Dec. 31 in a regional pilot project. (Wheel File Photo)

Garbage collection will look a little different in Black Diamond the second half of this year.

At its April 15 meeting, Black Diamond town council unanimously approved the Town of Okotoks’ proposal to collect and dispose of its solid waste through a regional curbside collection pilot project that will run from June 2 to Dec. 31. The project will include locations where garbage pick-up presently occurs, servicing 980 dwellings in Black Diamond.

Council learned that existing bins will be modified with a tracking system to collect data from each household and garbage collection days will reduce from Thursdays and Fridays to just Thursdays.

Black Diamond chief administrative officer Sharlene Brown said the pilot project supports the Regional Solid Waste Management Plan completed last year to establish a cost-effective regional collection program.

“This pilot allows us to move forward on implementation, assess the anticipated costs and adapt and adjust for possible long-term opportunities,” Brown said. “The pilot provides value for money to our partners and allows for Okotoks to assist in the delivery of a core service.”

Black Diamond council passed a motion on April 13 to reallocate $44,000 from its solid waste capital reserve to contracted services to pay for the pilot. The estimated cost for the pilot project is $40,572, not including tipping fees paid to the Foothills Regional Landfill Commission, as payment is based on weight.

Garbage collection in Black Diamond last year totalled just over $112,000, not including tipping fees, Brown said.

Public works employees responsible for garbage collection will work in other areas of public works for the duration of the pilot project, she said.

The pilot program will give Black Diamond the opportunity to track such information as whether a bin is overfull or tipped over, and which homes garbage is collected from, as each bin will be equipped with radio frequency identification, Brown said.

She said this added feature will be an enhancement of service to Black Diamond.

“We get a number of calls on Friday to say, 'My garbage wasn’t collected,'” she said. “This way there is actual tracking of that. On a weekly basis we have three to five calls to say the bin was not picked up when actually the bin was not out.”

After the pilot project is complete, council will decide whether to enter into a permanent contract with Okotoks for its solid waste collection or explore other alternatives.

Coun. Brian Marconi said many municipalities are using private-sector, third-party contractors to haul their garbage and that council shouldn’t limit its options.

“I think that’s something we should look into to see which way of doing this is going to be the most cost-effective,” he told council on April 13.

Mayor Ruth Goodwin agreed, saying council will not limits its options.

“We will be making sure, as council, that if there is a better option we will examine it in six-months time,” she said. “We’re also considering the regional impact on ourselves and our partners too.”

Progress of the pilot project will be reviewed in September and November, with reports to be supplied to council within six weeks of the project’s completion.

Tammy Rollie, OkotoksToday.ca

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