The Town of Olds, Waste Management Inc. and the Mountain View Regional Waste Management Commission are discussing a proposed pilot project to reduce waste in Olds. Both WMI and the waste commission made presentations on Sept. 19 to the town's policies and priorities committee.
“We really needed to check off with council … to see if we were on an appropriate course of action or not and I thought there was a lot of synergy in the room. I thought it was a great discussion. I thought it showed a lot of recognition on the part of the waste management team and the waste commission team that there's some really obvious benefits in terms of … sustainability,” said Larry Wright, the town's director of operations.
Wright said one of the points that still need to be clarified is the cost to offer the services. He estimated that the pilot could take as long as two years. When it could start is still a discussion point as is which 800 residences would participate in the pilot.
Dan Rochette, municipal relations manager for Waste Management Inc., told councillors that the company would like to offer businesses “single-stream recycling” in which all recyclables would be put into one bin and then sorted at the company's Red Deer facility.
“To encourage more recycling, we're going to maintain pricing,” he said. “It is about diversion and the recycling options open to them.”
Rochette said WMI would like to make single-stream recycling also available at fourplexes and elsewhere. He said WMI wants to be in the processing business rather than the collection of recyclables.
Rochette told councillors there is a fixed rate structure for businesses but landfill fees change on a periodic basis and that is what gets passed on to customers.
Don Reid, chief administrative officer of MVRWMC, told councillors that the commission would like to offer curbside blue bin recycling that would increase recycling rates. He said the provincial government isn't approving new landfills so the goal would be to extend the present one beyond its 30-plus years remaining.
Currently the black bins the waste management commission collects from residences are 64 litres, but a 95-litre blue recycling bin could be placed at residences, Reid told councillors, meaning that instead of collecting every week, the commission could collect every two weeks.
“Convenience is going to tell a very large tale in all of this,” Reid said.
Reid said that while the provincial government has suggested that every municipality should be aiming for an 85 per cent recycling rate by 2015, the commission would like to see an 80 per cent rate in all municipalities in the near future. He said hitting that target would shave $196,000 off a $250,000 tipping tab — revenue the commission wouldn't have. In order to make up some of that shortfall, Reid said the MVRWMC would need to receive all recycling in town.
Reid said the commission would also like to expand the compost collection it currently does. While all single-family residential homes have that option open to them, not all multi-family units do.
All three parties are happy with the collaboration so far and want to further the partnership as much as they can.
“The intent is excellent. I think we've all worked hard together to make this partnership work. The partnership is almost unheard-of in these kinds of things,” Reid said.
Wright said the town benefits greatly from the partnership.
“(It's) changing the way we do business, changing our culture and leading us to a more sustainable future,” he said.
Mayor Judy Dahl said she is “proud” the three groups are working together.
“I certainly hope this happens. This is fantastic,” she said.
