By Sam Borsato - @BorsatoSam on Twitter

Curbside recycling program coming together on schedule

May 2, 2017 | 11:37 AM

LETHBRIDGE – The curbside recycling program seems to be well on its way.
 
Lethbridge’s Residential Waste Diversion Strategy was approved by city council, with the exception of Councillor Joe Mauro, on November 28, 2016.
 
In a project update to council on Monday (May 1), Dave Schaaf, waste and recycling services manager, explained that a bi-weekly collection pilot project is set to take place from January to March 2018 with 1,000 residences, which will be chosen later this year. That first phase will be funded up to $600,000 from the recycling accumulated surplus.
 
Schaaf and other project leaders will explore the use of RFID tags and tracking software for single family residences, but are still in the process of deciding how the program will operate for multi-family buildings.
 
“The purpose of this is so that we can evaluate and test some of our outreach, some of our education, some of our communication materials… What is so important in this program is that we have people participate, but to participate in the right way. That really means then putting the right materials in there, and not putting the wrong materials in there,” Schaaf explained.
 
City-wide, bi-weekly collection is expected in 2019, alternating each week with waste collection. Recyclables will not have to be sorted before being placed in blue bins. Lethbridge’s existing recycling stations will remain open 24 hours for those who have additional or large items to recycle, and as yard waste drop-off sites.
 
A seven-dollar monthly charge will be added to residential utility bills shortly before full implementation that will fully cover the program’s capital acquisition as well as curbside operations, Schaaf said.
 
A project sheet for the the 2018-2027 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) was also submitted, as part of last November’s approval requirements. The $16,295,000 proposal includes the construction of a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) needed to process, sort and store the collected recyclables in preparation for marketing the resulting materials.
 
“We have recommended to city council that the MRF would be located out at the waste and recycling centre. This is where we have our customers come… So, we’re going to co-locate everything at the same location,” Schaaf said.
 
His presentation outlined that equipment vendors should be selected by July, and construction on the MRF would follow by this fall. Contracts for facility operations are also on schedule to be fleshed out by early 2018.
 
Schaaf also noted that after meeting with other facility operators and owners in Calgary, Red Deer and Edmonton that plastic film and styrofoam will not be allowed in blue bins. He explained that they contaminate the MRF process and will need to be sorted separately.
 
The remaining CIP money will be used to purchase carts and bins from single and multi-family building service, two additional collection trucks and to expand the waste and recycling garage to house the additional trucks.
 
Local recycling businesses have also been included in the program’s development. Three sessions were held with city councilors, administration, Environment Lethbridge and private curbside haulers from January 20 to February 3 to explore all future opportunities (shown above).
 
Currently, Lethbridge generates 1,150 kg per capita of waste from both residential and non-residential sources. Through this strategy, that will be reduced to 795 kg per capita by 2021, and down even further to 600 kg by 2030.
 
Plans for a green cart, organic materials system will be prepared for council’s consideration in 2019.