The city will try to ease the transition to a new waste program by buying back unused garbage tags and allowing residents to drop off extra garbage at the recycle yard.
The city is readying for a switch to automated curbside pickup next June. The switch will involve the introduction of a plastic container system to replace the current pay-as-you-throw bag system.
Sitting as committee of the whole, city council passed a recommendation Tuesday to add $10,000 to the budget to provide a pool of money to reimburse residents for unused garbage tags. The committee also approved $30,000 to provide garbage handling at the recycle yard. The recommendations require official council endorsement, which is expected Monday.
"I think we have to kind of offset some of the downsides that are going to be obvious when the program rolls out," said Coun. Cam MacKay, who initiated the ideas.
Residents will be able to turn in their extra tags for reimbursement once new plastic toters are delivered or keep the tags to use if they take extra garbage to the recycle yard in Campbell Park.
"I think it's a reasonable accommodation," MacKay said. "There will always be homeowners in St. Albert who do not like the new garbage program because of how it's going to affect them. I guarantee that we will hear from the citizens if we don't try and accommodate them."
MacKay intended the $30,000 budget item to allow the city to buy or rent a trash compactor for the recycle yard. The public works department will analyze the most cost effective way to dispose of the extra garbage, which could involve a compactor or more frequent hauling, said public works director Glenn Tompolski.
"Either way they'll be able to drop something off there. How we dispose of it is something we'll sort out," Tompolski said.
Pay as you throw
The previous council approved a move toward curbside organic pickup last June. The city has since signed a contract to buy five specialized trucks at a total cost of $1.25 million.
MacKay had been questioning the new program during council's recent budget deliberations. He mused about having a private contractor take over all waste collection and asked city administration to find out what it would cost to back out of the truck purchase.
The response was "well into the hundreds of thousands of dollars."
In the end, MacKay settled on buying back extra tags and providing a way for people to dispose of extra garbage.
"We've made a commitment. We're locked into it," MacKay admitted of the new waste program.
City manager Bill Holtby said administration was on board with both of MacKay's motions.
"It will really help people in terms of the transition to the new system," Holtby said.
Subscription levels
The new system will see each home assigned two wheeled plastic carts, or toters. One will be for regular garbage and the other for organic waste. Blue bag pickup will continue as usual.
The new system will continue to have three subscription levels based on the amount of garbage produced. There are currently subscription levels for two, one or half a bag of garbage per week.
The new system will offer toters that can hold four, two or one bag of garbage, double the amount of current bag levels because pickup will move from weekly to biweekly. Organics pickup will also be biweekly, save for warmer months between April and October.
The city budget estimated it would cost households $5.77 a month for organics pickup but the actual fees could vary slightly up or down based on actual costs the city incurs, Tompolski said.
The city has already started advising residents of the upcoming change through notices in their utility statements, generating a raft of inquiries and complaints.
"The majority of the complaints have been around 'what about our surplus tags, we've paid for these?'" Holtby said.
People have also complained that they don't have room in their yards or garages for the new toters, he said. He's also heard from homeowners who already do backyard composting, but who can't opt out of the program.
"It's a challenge and our staff are working on it," Holtby said.
Tompolski said the city's organic program will still be useful for those who compost in their backyards because the toters can be used for extra leaves and sticks and will also take material that's not recommended for backyard composters, like meat, bones, pizza boxes and pet waste.
"I think this program will enhance anything they're doing already," he said.
