Lethbridge could see curbside recycling trial as soon as next year: finance committee

LETHBRIDGE – There is a very real chance that blue bin recyclables will be collected on curbs as soon as next year. The collection would be part of a trial; one of the first steps Lethbridge Waste and Recycling is recommending in a six-year process.

“The pilot project would involve 1000 residents: 800 single families, 200 multi-families,” said Dave Schaaf, manager of the city’s Waste and Recycling department. “We would start doing that work next year so we would see about 12-14 months of a pilot and then from there we would be putting the materials together to move ahead and then implement: purchasing carts, purchasing trucks.”

After a proposal for curbside recycling was defeated in March, city council felt more consultation was needed. Two official business resolutions were approved, asking for experts to weigh in on the best way to implement waste diversion in the city.

READ MORE: Is Lethbridge an eco-friendly city?

At a marathon presentation to the city finance committee on Nov. 30, experts offered recommendations on how to best build a Materials Recovery Facility, the most efficient way to collect recyclables, how often recyclables should be collected and how much it would all cost.

“These are solid numbers. They’re not based on city administration numbers, these are consultants, these are experts in the industry telling us what the information is. So, I believe we have enough information to move forward and make a decision,” said chair of the finance committee and city councillor, Bridget Mearns.

In July, the city set targets in their waste diversion policy. Currently, only 20% of recyclable waste is being diverted. The city wants diversion up to 50% in 2021 and then eventually 65% waste diversion by 2030.

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To reach that goal, an independent consulting firm out of Florida recommended that a new Material Recovery Facility be built by 2018 at a price of approximately 12 million dollars. Schaff says a fully implemented blue-bin program will cost taxpayers an additional 9 to 10 dollars a month. Schaff wants bi-weekly curbside recycling collection implemented by 2018, weekly curbside organics collection implemented by 2021, and in the same year, have waste collection return to biweekly collection.

An official business resolution will be brought forward in the new year to be discussed by council.