Workers deliver green bins to homes in the Legacy Ridge neighbourhood for the curbside organics collection pilot on April 27, 2022. (Photo: Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

The cost of changing course on organics collection in Lethbridge

Jun 8, 2022 | 1:06 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – The City of Lethbridge will continue with its current plan to implement a new residential curbside organics collection program in 2023 after a report was presented to city council this week.

Earlier this year, Councillor Rajko Dodic requested that a report be completed on how much it would cost to modify the three existing recycling drop-off centres to add so-called ‘green bins’. This would allow people to drop off food waste and other materials that would normally be included in a household ‘green bin’ program.

Dodic felt it would be better to have an optional “self-haul” program for organics processing rather than one that is mandatory for all homes in the city.

The report has been completed and was presented at the regular meeting of city council on Tuesday, June 7, 2022.

It says that the recycling stations, which opened on the north, south, and west sides of the city between 2013 and 2016, are currently not adequately suited for food waste drop-off.

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Each of the locations includes a yard waste drop-off area, which can only accept materials such as grass clippings, leaves, garden trimmings, and smaller tree branches. These sites are not staffed or operational in the winter.

If food waste sites were added, the report says the city would need to make the facilities larger, hire additional staff to work seven days per week throughout the year, and haul the food waste to a processing facility.

For curbside collection, much of the required expenditures have already been spent and most planning work has been completed.

The total estimated cost for residents under the currently-planned curbside organics collection program will be $5 per month per household.

By changing course and going with the self-haul program, homeowners would be expected to pay around $8 per month per household.

The report also considered factors other than just finances.

It explains that there would likely be a lower amount of food waste being diverted from landfills by having an optional drop-off program compared to having a mandatory curbside collection.

It is expected that curbside collection would result in approximately 11,000 tonnes of organic materials being diverted, while the self-haul program would see around 3,000 tonnes per year being diverted.

“After the implementation of the curbside recycling program, the recyclable material diversion increased 3 times compared to the diversion achieved at the Recycling Stations,” reads a section of the city report.

According to the report, there would be a greater environmental impact by having many vehicles driving to drop off their food waste, as opposed to a smaller number of collection trucks travelling through neighbourhoods.

The full report can be seen on the City of Lethbridge website.

A pilot project for the curbside organics collection program in single-family homes started in April 2022. Approximately 1,900 homes in three neighbourhoods have been equipped with green bins, with a city-wide rollout planned in spring 2023.

READ MORE: Phase one of Lethbridge’s curbside organics collection begins

The city is planning to undertake a phased approach for organics pickup in multi-family residential units. The first phase is set to begin in fall 2023.

READ MORE: Phased approach for organics collection at Lethbridge multi-family homes