When curbside recycling was passed in November by an eight-to-one vote, it appeared the issue was put to bed. Tuesday night however, dozens turned out to the Lethbridge Public Library to speak out against curbside’s implementation.
“We do not need universal curbside recycling in Lethbridge,” Harold Pereverseff said.
The meeting was spearheaded by Pereverseff, who believes the city is making the wrong decision.
“They’re putting private businesses completely out of hand,” Pereverseff said. “There are remedies, but we hope we don’t have to go there.”
By remedies, Pereverseff is referring to next October’s municipal election, a potential petition and possibly even litigation. Many on Lethbridge Council have been fighting to get curbside recycling for years, and Lethbridge Mayor Chris Spearman believes it was a long time coming.
“We will be the last city in Alberta, probably the last city in western Canada,” Spearman said. “The experience in every other city was when they went to curbside recycling the residential participation in the waste diversion increased substantially.”
Pereverseff believes residents weren’t offered proper consultation. The city refutes that claim, saying information was available and was shared in public meetings and council.
Spearman believes Tuesday’s meeting may have had other motivations behind it.
“I would suspect that the meeting tonight is more about political motivation than the meeting itself,” Spearman said.
At one point in the meeting Pereverseff looked around at the audience and said, “I don’t see one city councilor here! I don’t see the mayor here!”
If Pereverseff is going to stop curbside recycling, Spearman believes there’s only one way it’s happening.
“The only way he’ll do that is if he and at least four other like-minded people get elected to city council in October,” Spearman said.
A pilot project, involving select neighborhoods, is scheduled to begin next year, with full implementation rolling out in 2019.