Lethbridge City Hall

By Lara Fominoff

Green cart program unlikely in Lethbridge for at least four years

Oct 16, 2019 | 3:32 PM

LETHBRIGE, AB – There will be no green carts for organic waste in Lethbridge before 2023 at the earliest, after City Council voted 7-2 on Tuesday (Oct. 15), to postpone the program until the next Capital Improvement Program (2022-2031) deliberations. Mayor Chris Spearman and Councillor Jeffrey Coffman voted against.

Councillor Jeff Carlson’s motion indicated that there would need to be a significant capital cost and ongoing operational costs which aren’t available at this time.

The program would require a $17 million one-time capital investment, for things like new bins, and new trucks. Operating costs would be around $5 million per year.

Spearman questioned whether there could be other ways for the program to move ahead prior to 2022, including somehow absorbing or offsetting the additional $8 cost to the taxpayer, after City Manager Bramwell Strain presented his report on departmental efficiencies later this month. However, Infrastructure Services Director Doug Hawkins said finding $22 million was a long shot.

“While I appreciate that we are going to undertake operational reviews, it is highly unlikely that we would ever find reinvestment to the tune of $17 million in one-time money and an ongoing savings somewhere else to the tune of $5 million a year. That’s quite a sizeable investment.”

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Strain told Spearman that even if the program was approved in 2022, it would be at least a year after that, the program could even take effect. The funding model would also have to be “refreshed” at that time.

“This is essentially putting that whole decision-making process, as well as any budget allocation off until 2022 at the earliest,” said Strain. “So then all those other things would need to come into sequence; procurement of the trucks if it was us providing that service, procurement of the service if we decide to go a different way and then whatever decision made on the facility proper. So that is correct, it would delay.”

Hawkins added that his department had conducted a review, and there were no savings “tucked away” for an organics program.

The decision also means he city’s goal of 50 per cent residential waste reduction by 2021 will not likely realized, something the Mayor said disappointed him.

“Many communities have implemented organics processing. We saw it’s now 57 per cent of what goes in the waste bins. That’s product that can be re-developed, re used in other areas. To have it going into our landfill, doesn’t fit my definition of continuous improvement… I understand it’s important to communicate to our broader community that we’re not rushing into this, but I’d like to keep the door open to alternative solutions.”

Councillor Rob Miyashiro however, pointed out that another resolution to bring back the Green Cart Program could occur if the City received a “windfall” of some sort in the form of significant efficiencies or funding from other sources.