Council unanimously approved the amendments to the waste management bylaw to move forward the town’s curbside organics collection, beginning April 2017, with an additional amendment from Coun. Morgan Nagel.
“I move that future green bin program information briefly indicates that the Town of Cochrane is required by the City of Calgary to implement organic collection in order to continue participating in the city’s waste management program.”
Nagel, who strongly opposed the spring decision to ban garburators in town for new homes, felt that Cochranites who don’t engage with social media or local newspapers should be made aware of why the town is moving forward with the green bins: to keep in line with the City of Calgary’s zero waste strategy.
Coun. Ross Watson questioned the message behind this amendment, emphasizing that “the reason we are doing this isn’t because we have a gun to our heads, it’s because it’s the responsible thing to do”.
Cochrane’s waste and recycling is shipped to Calgary landfill sites. By 2019, loads of garbage containing organics will be turned away from city landfill or charged up to $360/metric ton; the rate is currently $113/metric ton.
The town adopted the Zero Waste Framework in 2012, which seeks to divert 80 per cent of waste from landfill by 2020.
Community engagement held by the town revealed “85 per cent would use a residential organics collection program”.
Coun. Jeff Toews asked administration whether the existing Eco-Centre (open Wednesday through Saturday) could see reduced hours to save taxpayers money.
Fabrizio Bertolo, manager of waste and recycling for the town, responded that this would not be recommended, given the “wide range” of disposables accepted at the centre (appliances, batteries, bagged grass clippings, glass products, etc.).
This expansion of the Roll With It program, which currently includes curbside collection of garbage (black bins) and recyclables (blue bins), will accept all food waste organics including cooking oils, food-soiled paper plates and napkins, as well as yard waste, leave, grass clippings, cat litter and other pet waste.
Collection for the black and blue bins will continue weekly, with green bin collection proposed to run weekly during the warmer months and biweekly in the winter; the bins would be 240L for approximately 7,100 single family and duplex homes and 120L for approximately 1,500 townhomes (cart sizes to be re-evaluated one year post-launch).
Administration is recommending no increase in the 2017 recycling costs per household, as the town would save money with an estimated landfill diversion of 61 per cent (currently at 31 per cent); the collection fee will be determined through the 2017 budget process in November.
The fee is currently $20.55/month per household.
