After going on an impressive tour of the HodgePodge Lodge in Sherwood Park, Coun. Sheena Hughes hopes St. Albert may be able to develop a similar facility of its own.
The HodgePodge Lodge, which Strathcona County first opened in 2018, is a year-round ‘take it or leave it’ facility located within the Broadview Enviroservice Station. People can drop off — at no cost — a host of items that aren't necessarily garbage, but aren't accepted by thrift stores. People can also take home dropped-off items, again at no cost.
While providing a list of all the items accepted at the Lodge would be exhaustive, Strathcona County's manager of waste management services Leah Seabrook told the Gazette the Lodge mainly focuses on knickknacks, odds and ends, bits and bobs, and small items that can best be described as "things."
“We're not trying to compete with thrift stores because we have a number of thrift stores in our community that are run by not-for-profits,” Seabrook said. “The idea is for it to be those odds and ends that really don't have a home.”
On June 6, Hughes submitted a notice of motion that, if passed, will direct city staff to develop a business case for a similar facility in St. Albert. Although the motion hasn't been debated yet, the business case would be presented to council before the end of the year.
“It's a way to actually reduce the amount of items going into a landfill and giving them new life for somebody who still sees a purpose for them,” Hughes said. “The amount of items and the volume of items both being dropped off and picked up on a daily basis is impressive.”
Hughes said she was given the tour as part of her work with the Edmonton Region Waste Advisory Committee. While on the tour, Hughes said she was surprised with how popular the facility was, noting that no fewer than 12 people were at the facility during the time she was there.
“It's remarkable,” she said.
Seabrook said since the Lodge re-opened earlier this year after a COVID-caused closure and a renovation, about 45,000 kilograms (100,000 pounds) of items have been dropped off, while 35,000 kg (78,000 lbs) of items have gone to new homes.
“We can't necessarily claim that everything coming through our site would have ended up in a landfill; maybe it would have ended up on an upcycling page, maybe they would have kept it in the garage for a while, (but) it's just giving that opportunity for it to be cycled and have another use,” Seabrook said.
She also said an unintended benefit of the Lodge is that it has become a community hub, especially for the dedicated volunteers who help operate the facility.
“There's all these social benefits and community connections and other pieces that are now coming into play which is super-exciting to see,” Seabrook said. “It is that little hub where folks are coming and going and meeting and finding opportunities to connect with other people, (and) we have volunteers that help us operate it.”
Having volunteers to take some of the workload off county staff was another reason Hughes said she thought having a similar facility in St. Albert would be a good idea.
“It's being run on a very, very minimal budget and minimal capital expense,” Hughes said, adding her motion explicitly states that if a business case is developed, city staff will use the HodgePodge Lodge as a starting point for an operating model and cost comparison.
“I think that St. Albert being very environmentally aware, we are a community that's very concerned about respecting the environment," she said. "I think that this is something (residents) would appreciate; having that opportunity to not wait for a 'take it or leave it' event or not have to wait for a particular way to dispose of their items they don't need, but rather be able to do it on an ongoing basis.”
